A PLANNING application has been submitted to demolish a building at a recreation ground in Christchurch.

BCP Council has submitted a proposal to flatten the single storey sports pavilion, and its adjacent storage unit, in Barrack Road Recreation Ground.

The community building is currently unoccupied, boarded up and in a sorry state of disrepair.

It has remained a frequent target for vandals, who have smashed its windows, plastered graffiti over its walls and reportedly damaged its interior.

Earlier this year, elected leaders accused the local authority of letting the building go to “rack and ruin”.

Now, BCP Council say it needs to be demolished for “safety reasons”.

Their spokesperson said: “The Barrack Road Recreation Ground is a popular facility for local people. Unfortunately, the disused pavilion building on the site has continued to be the focus of vandalism and anti-social behaviour in recent years.

Read more: Fury over Christchurch pavilion slipping into 'rack and ruin'

“We have therefore taken the decision to board up the pavilion in the interests of health and safety. A planning application has now been submitted to demolish the building and if approved, works to demolish the pavilion building and an adjacent storage building will begin at the end of December.”

BCP Council is believed to still be in the process of creating a full procedure or policy to transfer ownership of the pavilion to Christchurch Town Council.

The local authority said Christchurch Town Council had been “involved” in the planning application for the building and were "aware of the need" for it to be demolished for safety reasons.

Christchurch Town ward councillor Mike Cox agreed the building needed to be demolished, but said this was down to 'negligence' by BCP Council.

He added the local authority had put "obstacles left right and centre" in relation to transferring the assets to Christchurch Town Council.

Cllr Cox said: "The building was effectively given to BCP for safe keeping. We've been trying to get it back in our ownership for a long time now.

"BCP have been painful in terms of getting the ownership transferred. 

"Now, the state of it the building is utterly and completely dilapidated. BCP have been utterly negligent in its ownership of the pavilion, as a result of which they're having to knock it down, and someone will have to pay for the cost of putting a new one up."