RESIDENTS of the Trelander estate in Truro have expressed frustration at the slow pace of progress with their community centre, which was ravaged by fire a year ago.

Following the blaze on September 15, 2025, the centre was left roofless until January 2026. Residents fear it is no closer to being repaired and reopened.

“It’s been a year since the fire, and will likely be another year before it’s rebuilt,” said Lorraine Vinson, chair of Trelander and St Clement’s Community Association. “That’s two years without a community centre. Trelander needs one.

“It’s not just for kids - older people relied on it for a coffee and a chat. Will our clubs come back, or will they decide to stay where they are?”

She added: “We are supposed to be having a council meeting every month, but the last two have been cancelled because reports were not back in time. We’re supposed to be notified when things are going on, but often only find out when we see something happening like rubbish being removed.

“It’s frustrating – we feel stuck. They hold all the cards.”

Cllr Loic Rich, independent Cornwall councillor for Tregolls and Truro’s deputy mayor, said: “It’s really slow. Maybe Storm Goretti held things up; maybe it’s the police investigation. Maybe if it had been someone’s home, there might have been more going on.

“But it’s not acceptable. We need to work out what needs to happen and get contracts in place.

“We are getting to the stage where we are trying to work out how much the damage will cost. We still don’t really know whether we can repair it or will have to rebuild it – we’re only just started doing proper assessments. I think I would err on the side of rebuilding, as design and technology have moved on.”

Jayne Kirkham MP (Labour, Truro and Falmouth) said she planned to attend the next meeting between committee and Cornwall Council later this month. “As I understand it, the council has had initial survey findings and a full report was due for release,” she said. “They will need to consider this, then talk to us about what happens going forward.”

Ms Kirkham added: “We really do need to be getting on with this now. I am going to keep pushing - we need resolution. We cannot let that community centre sit there in the sorry state it’s in for that much longer.”

A Cornwall Council spokesperson said: “We are actively pursuing an insurance claim in relation to damage to Trelander community centre and we are committed to progressing this as quickly as possible.

“We have carried out detailed investigations of the building’s structure to determine the full extent of damage. The survey results are expected shortly and will inform whether the building can be repaired or whether demolition will be necessary.

“We are regularly meeting Trelander and St Clement’s Community Association to provide updates and also keeping local stakeholders informed.”