AN extraordinary meeting to discuss growing discontent about a controversial stalled £600,000 building project saw angry exchanges last night (Thursday, June 11).

The chairman of Chacewater Parish Council admitted that it had been guilty of “bad governance” after a frustrated member of the public declared: “It is mind-boggling that you got yourselves in this state.”

The parish council was granted £589,860 in government Shared Prosperity Funding (SPF) by Cornwall Council for a new modern recreation centre to replace the village’s old football pavilion, with construction beginning in June 2024 and a planned completion date of December 2024.

It still hasn’t been completed as construction costs spiral. Locals working in the construction industry are concerned about substandard work and believe the half-completed centre may have to be pulled down.

Members of the public, some of whom formed a campaign group called Chacewater Recreation Centre Action Group (CRAG), believe the parish council is responsible for a catalogue of errors.

This has led to councillors standing down, including former chairman Paul Bearham; Cornwall Council refusing to grant any further funding, and Cornwall councillor Dulcie Tudor calling it “an unfortunate saga” which “should not have been granted funding of over £600,000 in the first place”.

During the meeting, “concerned and frustrated Cornish builder” Tom Harrison commented on construction of a new access ramp to the half-complete recreation centre in the village near Truro.

“From what I have observed, the work appears to differ significantly from both the spirit and, potentially, the details of the approved planning application,” he said. “The overall appearance gives the impression of materials simply being tipped into place, with little consideration given to the surrounding historic environment.

“The quality of the finished work is, in my opinion, extremely poor and falls well below what should be expected in such a prominent location. It gives the impression that corners have been cut in an effort to reduce costs while creating the appearance of progress, when in reality the result risks becoming an eyesore and a maintenance problem.”

The council was asked what professional consultants had been appointed for gabion baskets (wire mesh baskets filled with rocks which act as building blocks for landscaping) at the entrance to the recreation ground; who were the principal designer and contractors, and what insurance they had for carrying out the work.

Council chairman Stuart Foster said a working party set up to oversee the recreation centre project had concerns that work at the entrance to the site was being carried out without due oversight or consultation, and had not been properly constructed.

Local builder Dan Sutton interjected: “Why haven’t you stopped it? That’s your job.” Mr Sutton offered his services free to take down the gabion baskets.

Cllr Rob Knill replied: “It was my fault. I took the decision to do this. We’ve done volunteer projects before, perhaps this was overstepping the mark.” He said he carried out the work with the best of intentions.

Chartered surveyor Ed Crossley said: “These works have not been coordinated by a professional. You haven’t employed a chartered engineer. You’ve done something you haven’t got planning permission for. As far I can tell, the job’s not been registered with building control. You have no health and safety.

“You have all the best intentions, but this is just absolutely ridiculous. This is a £10,000 job that’s been going on since August of last year. It’s going to be ripped out. It is so outrageous and ridiculous – it is mind-boggling that you got yourselves in this state.”

Cllr Foster replied: “Agreed,” adding: “It is clear that the works have to stop.”

Mr Crossley also complained that seven months had elapsed since a request was made for the council to issue the minutes of the recreation centre working party meetings. “A formal complaint will be going in the next week if the information is not provided,” he told the parish council.

Cllr Foster said there should be a resolution that all works being undertaken on the recreation ground, including pitch renewal and access ramp works, must come under the authority of the Recreation Ground Working Party, which has been renamed from the Recreation Centre Working Party in order to have oversight of wider projects connected to the build.

“We have lost control of this project,” added the chairman. “I think there is a fair comment to make that as a parish council we are often doing things ourselves and that’s great, but some of what has been done recently is just not up to standard in terms of governance.

“Too much is being done unilaterally by councillors – and I include myself in that. There has been a tendency for councillors to take things on without due recourse to our parish clerk who is the proper officer.”

Cllr Foster added: “This parish council is guilty of, certainly in recent times, bad governance. Everything that has been happening in the last few months is all about turning that around.

“Over time, it’s become slacker and looser, with less oversight or governance. When you’re looking at capital projects, it becomes so much more important. You can’t approach these kind of projects as you would something in your own back garden and there has been a tendency to do that.

“I implore all councillors present to take on board that from here on we cannot have things happening willy-nilly, without advice and due oversight. I believe that a sense of impatience is what has caused half of the problems we’ve had.

“We are volunteers, we don’t get paid and we have other commitments, but ultimately it’s a matter of professionalism.”

He added that parish clerk Claire Powell had not been kept in the loop on several matters. This included the setting up of an electricity supply to the incomplete recreation centre. Ms Powell said as clerk she should have been the one to set up the electricity supply, but she was completely unaware of it and it had not been agreed in any council meetings.

However, she recently received final demand bills for £800 from Scottish Power for an account set up in her name rather than that of Chacewater Parish Council, and as a result was now facing a court appearance, with a County Court Judgment (CCJ) registered in her name if the bill went unpaid.

The clerk said she had recently found a spreadsheet from April 2025 which said the responsibility for agreeing the electricity supply was “the parish clerk verified by South West Community Builds”, a company set up by former council chairman Paul Bearham. “I think we can safely say that South West Community Builds set this up in my name,” said Ms Powell, adding that the situation was being sorted.

Ms Powell said she had tendered her resignation, but had changed her mind on the basis that she comes back “and things are different - there has to be a reset from now”. She added that the council now has the backing of Cornwall Association of Local Councils (CALC). “I firmly believe we can turn this all around – please just give us a bit of time,” ahe added.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

The meeting heard that the parish council was now seeking National Lottery funding to complete the stalled development and that consultant reports were now being sought to ascertain how the recreation centre project can be completed.