PLANS are being drawn up by BCP Council to buy the Bournemouth Indoor Bowls Centre in King's Park.

Members of its cabinet will be asked to approve the purchase of the facility next month having provisionally backed the move at the end of last year.

A report says bringing the centre in-house will allow it to “better manage the site for wider community benefit”.

The council has the freehold for the site but in 1996 it agreed a 99-year deal to lease out the bowls centre.

It charges Bournemouth Indoor Bowls Club £19,000 a year in rent with the club subletting the first floor of the building.

The purchase of the facility was included in the original £25 million Boscombe Towns Fund bid.

Although the bid was successful, the government only awarded it £21.7 million and the deal’s inclusion within this has yet to be confirmed.

Despite this, cabinet members will be asked to sign off the purchase when they meet on April 14, either as part of the towns fund or through borrowing.

The value of the deal has not been made public.

“The purchase of the lease will enable the council to develop strategic options for the site that respond to community need for recreation and learning facilities whilst maintaining the provision of bowls,” a report published ahead of the meeting says.

“It will provide opportunity to increase the usage of the centre by bringing together fragmented services and generate income for the council without increasing costs significantly,” it adds.

It says the council is “committed to the provision of bowls in the area” and that buying out the lease would secure this.

The cabinet will be asked to approve the purchase of the centre, either using the towns fund money or through borrowing.