PLANS for a £1.5million replacement of a Malvern landmark are going out to the public.

The pavilion in Victoria Park is the subject of plans by Malvern Town Council to give the building a new lease of life.

In the past, the pavilion has been home to changing rooms, a cafe and public toilets, but the council says it is in urgent need of replacement having become "obsolete".

Among the concerns are poor build quality, increasing maintenance costs and vandalism of the toilets.

The toilets in particular are in desperate need of work, with councillors calling for a "bold and imaginative" scheme to redevelop the pavilion into a £1.5million two-storey building.

In addition, the council offices in Belle Vue Terrace will be sold and relocated to the new pavilion.

Back in December 2018, Malvern town councillors formed a task and finish group to look at what should happen to the Victoria Park Pavilion.

Having agreed that the building was not suitable for refurbishment, councillors initially agreed a new single-storey, high-quality, eco-friendly pavilion to include a café, meeting room, sports changing rooms and public toilets, at a cost of £600,000.

But last November, full council decided to consider a possible larger project with increased scope for community facilities.

As the concept and design for this building progressed, members of the task and finish group suggested that as part of this new building, the Town Council offices should be moved and incorporated as a second floor to the building.

A council spokesman said: "The Town Council offices in Belle Vue Terrace are currently not ideally located for members of the public to visit, their relocation to Victoria Park would allow staff to better serve the local community and be on site to manage the park’s leisure facilities.

"A new building with a café and offices would also provide an onsite presence at the park to help reduce antisocial behaviour, and an eco-friendly building would also help to support the Council’s commitment to reduce its carbon emissions in the long term.

"To finance this project, if approved, Councillors will be asked to consider the budget spend and funding options.

"A total spend for a new pavilion and with offices would be approximately £1.5 million, funded partly by council reserves, and with a low interest loan which could be reduced by the sale of the council’s current offices on Belle Vue Terrace."

Malvern Town Council is holding an extraordinary meeting on July 29 at the Eden Centre, Grovewood Road, Malvern at 6pm to consider a task and finish group recommendation to replace the pavilion.

The meeting is open to the public and there will be an opportunity to listen to why Malvern Town Council is considering what it believes is probably its largest investment since its inception.

There will also be a chance for members of the public to ask questions.

When councillors have agreed the scope and budget for the project, there will be a period of public consultation for local residents to make comments on what they would like to see as part of the new building.

Recently, the town council has been installing new basketball courts at Victoria Park with the new surfacing due to be laid in mid-August ahead of its official opening at the end of that month.

The council will also be looking at the relocation and upgrading of the very popular skatepark facility within the park.