A CRUMBLING ‘asbestos-laden’ pavilion next to a children’s playground is to be demolished.
The pavilion at Hillmorton Recreation Ground, also known as Featherbed Lane Rec, will be bulldozed in October.
In September, The Observer reported the concerns of the chair of a Hillmorton community group, who said decades of neglect had turned the pavilion into a ‘health hazard’.
Rugby Borough Council (RBC) this week confirmed plans to demolish the building and either replace it or develop other facilities, such as play equipment, nature areas or an outdoor gym.
The pavilion, built in the 1960s, has fallen into disrepair and become a target for vandals in recent years.
Jim Ellis, chair of Friends of East Rugby Group, said he was elated it was finally being demolished.
In September, Friends of East Rugby Group chair Jim Ellis told The Observer the pavilion was a ‘health hazard’.
He said: “It is of great relief to me and the community campaigners I have been working with over the last few years.”
Jim, a Labour candidate for Hillmorton in the last borough and county council elections, said he ‘made a lot of noise’ about the issue during his campaigns.
“I have been working to raise this issue and the sense of relief that this building is going to be finally removed is significant,” he said.
“Though pleased, I hope our incumbent councillors will include the community campaigners since we have been pushing this issue.
“This is a cross-community issue and I will be actively seeking to be included within the planning of a new resource from a community member perspective.”
The pavilion, built in the 1960s, has fallen into disrepair in recent years.
RBC’s environment and public realm spokeswoman Coun Lisa Parker said: “We refurbished Hillmorton Recreation Ground in 2005, when we worked with the community to deliver a range of improvements.
“However, it’s clear the pavilion now needs to come down and we have started the process of commissioning the work.
“We now want to involve the community again to find out what facilities residents want at the recreation ground in order to finalise plans for the future.”
The demolition is scheduled to finish by the end of October, with a development plan for the recreation ground set to be finalised by the end of the year.
Hillmorton Recreation Ground was granted Queen Elizabeth II Field status by Fields in Trust in 2012, protecting it as a green space for future generations.
