RESIDENTS who have fought tooth and nail to get a new community hall are still waiting to get the go ahead.It has taken residents and community leaders in Pinewood more than 20 years and a six figure loan to get a Community centre built on Laburnum Close, Ipswich, and now it looks as though they may have to wait even longer and pay out more money.

RESIDENTS who have fought tooth and nail to get a new community hall are still waiting to get the go ahead.

It has taken residents and community leaders in Pinewood more than 20 years and a six figure loan to get a community centre built on Laburnum Close, Ipswich, and now it looks as though they may have to wait even longer and pay out more money.

It was hoped work would begin on the £860,000 community centre at the beginning of last month but legal problems mean residents have to wait longer.

Councillor Richard Kirby said: “The plans are all in place and the builders are all ready to go, they just need to get the leases signed.

“It's been really tough for everyone involved and very frustrating.”

There are two leases which need to be agreed between Ipswich Borough Council and the solicitors representing Pinewood Parish Council - one for the land that the hall is to be built on and one for the car parking area.

Sandra Peartree, the clerk of Pinewood Parish Council, said: “It's just going backwards and forwards between the legal people and it's costing us more money all the time.”

Celia Rutt, chair of the Pinewood community hall association, said she was deeply frustrated by the delay.

She said: “We had a draft of the leases before Christmas so you can imagine our frustration that we still haven't got a signed document on the table yet.”

A spokesman for Ipswich council said the problems were a result of architectural changes to the plans which needed to be revised by their solicitors and they were expecting the issue to be resolved soon.

Pinewood Parish Council began working towards the building of the community hall in 1984 when the council was first established.

Money for the hall was raised by the people of Pinewood through the parish council and the community hall association.

The project also received funds from Babergh District Council and a loan from the Public Works Loan Board, which will be repaid over the next 50 years at the cost of a few pence a year to each council tax payer.

Are you eager to see the community centre in Pinewood get up and running? What do you think?

Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.