A £250,000 community hall opened three years ago has still not been handed over to the local authorities – with councillors threatening legal action in a bid to force the issue.
The old chapel on the site of the former Cross Houses Hospital was transformed into a thriving community centre as part of a 90-home development by Persimmon Homes, and was opened in March 2006.
The facility is used by a host of local groups, but because aspects of the development have not been completed the project cannot be officially signed off.
Members of Berrington Parish Council have taken enforcement action against Persimmon Homes to get the scheme finished, and unless remedial work on the project is completed to required local authority standards, the parish council cannot take on ownership of the building.
Persimmon technically still owns the facilities, which could cause problems with grant applications for the premises according to councillors.
But now the issue is unlikely to be resolved until the new unitary authority comes into being in April.
Groups using the centre include a bridge club, amateur theatre groups and Flicks in the Sticks.
The development also included a children’s play area, allotments and a road leading to the estate – but the delay is frustrating local residents’ plans for the centre.
Claire Wild, chair of the council, said: “We’ve taken lots of enforcement against Persimmon and threatened the company secretary with legal action.
“They’ve been re-organised about six times, we are not going to sort anything out until we get unitary and the unitary lawyers sort it out.”
Cameron Moffett, who has been organising Cross Houses allotments, has been looking for grants to make the centre more environmentally friendly. She said: “I’m looking into various grants available for the community centre, and ownership may depend on it.”
A spokesman for Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council’s enforcement department confirmed ownership of the centre had not yet been transferred to Berrington Parish Council.
David Broadbent, managing director for Persimmon Homes North West, said: “The community centre in Cross Houses was handed over to the local parish council approximately three years ago.
“With regard to the play areas and open space at the site, we are awaiting a decision from SABC as to whether they would like to adopt space or keep it privately maintained.
“In the meantime we have been tending to the area as part of our maintenance strategy.”