PLANS to demolish a Bournemouth sports pavilion,which has been the repeated target of vandals, have been submitted.

Active Dorset is seeking permission to level the facility at Slades Farm and to build a combined community meeting space, public toilet and office block in its place in a £500,000 project aimed at rejuvenating the centre.

In January, the pavilion’s kitchen was damaged and furniture was burned by vandals. The attack followed similar incidents in August and September.

The pavilion had been used by Oakmedians rugby club, which owned all of the equipment kept in the building, until the January incident forced it to move all of its sessions to its Meyrick Park base.

Since then, the pavilion has been too dangerous to use and refurbishment of the facility has been deemed to be too expensive by the organisation.

Active Dorset’s chief executive, Martin Kimberley, said: “We have found a modular building in London which would be more affordable for us.

“We have been working very closely with Bournemouth council and other groups and organisations to reactivate the site and what we have planned would address the main concerns we’ve been told in conversations with people.”

The new facility would provide toilets and a community space as well as a small servery which can be used by clubs.

“Having public toilets would be a great addition, particularly for our youngest users,” he added.

“We have a great playground here but it needs loos to make it more popular with families.”

Mr Kimberley said that Active Dorset was working on wider improvements at Slades Farm and was developing plans for a full-sized, floodlit artificial football pitch in conjunction with neighbouring Glenmoor Academy.

He said that it was estimated that the project to replace the pavilion would cost just under £500,000.

In May the Daily Echo reported that Bournemouth council was seeking permission to demolish the pavilion which it deemed to be at “significant” risk of arson and unsafe due to it containing asbestos.

The council has applied to its planning board for confirmation that it can carry out the demolition using permitted development powers, rather than requiring full planning permission.

However, pre-application advice included in the submission says that it requires a formal planning application.