In a council meeting last Monday Jonathan Wooldridge said they "won't finish it by January" and said the investigations and the public inquiry into the council were major causes of the delay.

The Department of Ageing, Disability and Homecare placed the deadline as their current lease expires in January 2005.

Mr Wooldridge is planning a meeting in the next two weeks between the Lightning Ridge Community Centre Committee, senior representatives of the Department of Ageing, Disability and Homecare and other interested parties and affected parties to discuss the implications of the delay and where they would go from here.

The current cost for Stage One of Glen Murcutt's designed community centre now stands at $1,384,001, up from the estimated cost of $500,000 to $600,000 agreed on by the council last December.

The community centre will accommodate office space for the Home Care Service of NSW, Ngangana Aboriginal Home Care, North West Area Community Options, Meals on Wheels, Neighbourhood Aid and Community Transport.

Council now needs to identify the value of the community and local business contribution, labour cost reductions from the use of the CDEP workforce, the value of materials donated or otherwise sources (of which materials from mining tailings would be a significant portion) and any other measures which could be identified or adopted to reduce the cost of the building.