Calls to restore cricket pavilion in Southchurch Park

Ron Woodley, Independent councillor for Thorpe Bay, insists Southend Council has the £600,000 needed to revamp the pavilion in Southchurch Park.

But fellow Thorpe Bay councillor Martin Terry insists bosses should not be sending vast sums of money on repairs during the cost-of-living crisis.

The dilapidated pavilion was recently ransacked by yobs and has reportedly become a magnet for antisocial behaviour.

In an angry email to Southend Council seen by the Echo, Mr Woodley accused bosses of "failing" in their duty to maintain the building.

He said: “It is part of Southchurch Park’s heritage, and the council has disregarded not only its own assets, but deliberately not met its own procedures on this culture-based building.

"There is £600k in the priority building capital budgets.”

Mr Woodley added: “The council's problem is that it only wants to do the projects it wants to do and ignores the things residents require - good honest responses to question raised and why a building such as this has been left to rot by a council that is not meeting its requirements in protecting and preserving valuable assets for the community.”

Mr Terry, responsible for public protection, has rubbished claims the council has the cash to restore the pavilion.

He has called for the building to be brought into wider public use once improvements are made in the future.

"Community groups are interested in using it but the council can’t stump up £600,000 when we are coming into a cost of living crisis," Mr Terry said.

"We could rebuild it without calling on the council but it doesn’t necessarily have to be just a cricket pavilion.

"That doesn’t make sense. I would like to see a multi-functional building

“At the moment cricket clubs don’t want to take over running that building.

"Cricket clubs would only use it 20 times a year so what about the other 345 days?"

Vandal magent - Soutchurch Park