Basildon's showpiece glass bell tower needs £50,000 for essential work before it can open.

A miscalculation in bidding for lottery cash has led to a shortfall leaving Canon Lionel Webber, the man behind the project, desperate for solutions.

The majestic structure in the heart of town has been ringed by a metal fence for months because landscaping work is still incomplete.

CanonWebber has even vowed to put off his retirement at the end of the year until the crisis is resolved. The tower, unveiled in spectacular fashion by the Queen in 1999, has been dogged with delays and was expected to be completed by Easter.

In 1996, Canon Webber hit back at critics who accused him of un-Christian practices by taking gambling money from the National Lottery, and said: "The church should take money from wherever it can get it."

However, Echo investigations have found that despite being offered up to £350,000 in 1997, Canon Webber only accepted £22,500 of lottery funding.

A spokesman for the Millennium Commission, which hands out cash to deserving causes, said: "As we understand it, the money was to go towards planning and design of the bell tower.

"The people behind it were confident they did not need any more of our grant. The sum of £22,500 was agreed by both sides and we have heard nothing since we handed that money over 18 months ago."

Canon Webber claims the initial public response to the plans convinced him that further funding would not be necessary.

He said: "Quite simply, at the time we didn't think we'd need it, so we asked the Millennium Commission to pass the money on to another cause.

"We thought we were home and dry."

However, after some funding pledges fell through, Canon Webber is now trying to raise the remainder of the cash to complete the landscaping.

Headache - Nina Murray, aged three, by the bell tower

Picture: LUAN MARSHALL

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.