A Catholic priest is "bitterly disappointed" with a new £500,000 extension at the rear of his church.

Father Donal O'Brien said there was a long list of problems affecting the extension to St John the Evangelist Church in Market Place, Wallingford.

Two new meeting rooms, a sacristy, office and toilets were designed for the town centre church by architect Dr Alex Amato. Access is from Wood Street or through the church.

The modern design was highly praised this month in The Architects' Journal for its creative use of steel, innovative raft flooring to avoid ancient burial sites, and overall visual impact.

But Father O'Brien was not impressed.

He said: "I'm not a complainer and this gives me no pleasure. I wish I could say it's wonderful, but frankly it has been a nightmare.

It might have 'good use of steel', but I need to make good use of the building. I like it visually, but the point is 'can I use it?'"

He said problems include:

*The confessional needing altering because confidential conversations can be heard through the walls, and the poor sound-proofing in the toilets is embarrassing

*When a large meeting was held recently, the ventilation was inadequate.

*The kitchen ceiling is too low and the windows generally are difficult to clean

*The extension is hot in summer, cold in winter, and the central heating takes a long time to warm up. Newly-fitted doors do not close properly and some of the metal work outside is already rusting.

However, Sue Hendrie, a local resident and former historic buildings inspector for English Heritage, disagreed.

She said: "Dr Amato's dynamic little church is an excellent example of innovative contemporary architecture fitting into an historic town centre.