The Belle Vue Pavilion is at risk of closure unless the "upgrading" project goes ahead, according to Senior Planner Charlotte Raine.

Officer Raine, tasked with allocating Section 106 (s106) funds to eligible projects, last week told Penarth Town Councillors that the building is in a "state of disrepair."

She cited wooden frame rotting, serious foundational issues, inadequate water and drainage systems and "borderline non-compliant" electrics among the building's issues.

The redevelopment project will see roughly £1.1 million - raised by s106 funds paid to the Vale by "Penarth Heights" developers (£600,000) and a pending National Lottery fund application (£500,000) - spent on demolishing the 116-year-old building and replacing it with a multi-purpose hall complete with kitchen, cafe and toilets.

£100,000 will also be spent upgrading the play area.

"The projects seeks to ensure the site remains a venue for community activity - but in modern premises which befit its wider, more inclusive role," said Officer Raine.

The project has strong faced opposition from some community figures.

Ken Gray, a resident who launched the "Rethink Redevelopment" petition (which has garnered just 18 signatures so far), gave his response to Officer Raine's comments to Nub News:

"We wholeheartedly support the renovation/rebuilding of the Pavilion and the play area and accept the disruption this will involve.

"We don't, however, feel that the council's plan to destroy an historic structure in a conservation area and replace it with a modern building - which will also take some of the green space - is in keeping with the aesthetic or the purpose of the park or in the best interests of the wider community.

"Other parts of Penarth deserve investment in community services far more than us - we are already extremely well served."

A resident walking in Belle Vue Park this morning told Nub News:

"It needs to be touched up a bit, yes. But to lose such a beautiful old building would be a tragedy."

Many residents support the project, such as some members of the community group Friends of Belle Vue Park.

Penarth Town and Vale Councillor Kathryn McCaffer announced her support for the scheme during the meeting:

"It will encompass the entire community and the bowls club, and in the times we're in right now we should be getting behind doing something for the community.

"Sorry if I sound too passionate," she added. 'But we can have a whole new building in a really loved park, and we should all be really excited about it."

Find more information and have your say here.