A CHARITY which has come under scrutiny after it gave its chief executive a huge loan is still set to move into Colchester’s oldest standing building.

Community360, which loaned boss Tracy Rudling more than £200,000, is working alongside Colchester Council to overhaul Holy Trinity Church in the city centre.

The two organisations hope to transform the historic church into a community hub operated by the charity if a £1.8million bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund is approved.

When asked about the future of the project by the Gazette, Colchester Council said it is “advancing as planned”.

Gazette: Partnership - Colchester Council leader David King with Tracy Rudling, chief executive of Community360Partnership - Colchester Council leader David King with Tracy Rudling, chief executive of Community360 (Image: Colchester Council)

A spokesman said: “The Holy Trinity Church project is advancing as planned, and our goal is to restore and adapt the church and associated tower to infuse new vitality into the space.

“We are committed to a transparent and responsible partnership with Community360 and continue to assess the situation.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates when appropriate.”

The plans to regenerate the church in Trinity Street are set to be debated by the authority’s planning committee at a meeting this evening.

Gazette: Concern - councillor Mark Goacher is worried the graveyard at Holy Trinity Church could become a public looConcern - councillor Mark Goacher is worried the graveyard at Holy Trinity Church could become a public loo (Image: Newsquest)

Councillors will decide whether 23 gravestones can be moved after the proposal was flagged by city centre councillor Mark Goacher.

He fears the works could lead to the site becoming a hotspot for “littering and urination”, leading it to become “a stopping point for users of the night time economy to relieve themselves”.

What happened with Community360?

Community360 came under fire after it was revealed it made the £206,341 loan to its chief executive, Tracy Rudling, in the last financial year.

Gazette: Charity boss - Tracy RudlingCharity boss - Tracy Rudling (Image: Newsquest)

The charity said the money was used to build long-term storage facilities for the charity on Mrs Rudling’s land.

The charity, which works with partners to support education and health services, receives funding from Colchester Council, Essex County Council, the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board, and Braintree Council.

But the land where the storage was built was in Maldon District Council’s Tolleshunt D’Arcy ward.

A spokesman for the charity and its chief executive said the organisation will be the ultimate beneficiary of the loan and not Mrs Rudling.