CLOSED down, up for sale, saved by a change of administration, under review and now facing demolition. The Winter Gardens has been the hot political topic in Bournemouth over the past few years yet still stands empty while the debate over its future rages on.

The latest twist in the drawn-out saga is a proposal to knock down the historic concert hall and replace it with a smaller arts centre.

The idea received unanimous support from Liberal Democrat cabinet members and will now be subject to council scrutiny and public consultation.

But it has also sparked accusations that councillors could be reneging on a key election pledge.

In 2000 and 2002, the then leader of the Liberal Democrats Cllr Jean Moore spoke of "standing in front of bulldozers" to save the building. But this time, she remained silent and voted in support of demolition and replacement.

"I feel that this is the only way forward at the present time," she told the Daily Echo afterwards.

"Things have altered and we're under pressure from central government on funding. Reluctantly I will agree to this because I think it is the only way forward."

And Cllr Angela Manton placed her career on the line in 2003 when she publicly pledged to save the concert hall: "It's going to be delivered to the people and we will do it in the next four years," she said. "If we don't deliver the Winter Gardens, I will resign."

But at the recent cabinet meeting, she told her fellow councillors that a new building would seem to provide "the most potential".

"We can see that the Winter Gardens as a building, as a site, can be of enormous value to Bournemouth," she said.

"At the moment, we're undertaking the BIC refurbishment and we're going to have a fully refurbished Pavilion. If we set in between those two what could be a potentially vibrant site for arts and cultural activities, we could really excel."

But supporters of the Winter Gardens are not happy. They say the Liberal Democrat manifesto pledge to reopen the hall as a matter of urgency never included the possibility that the building could be replaced.

Father Raphael, chair of the Friends of the Winter Gardens, said: "A lot of people who normally vote Conservative backed the Liberal Democrats at the last election on the understanding that they would save the Winter Gardens. It would appear that they have been let down.

"This seems to me a delaying tactic and the longer the Winter Gardens sits empty, the more it will cost to reopen."

Mary Hilliam, life president of the friends, said she was "very, very upset" at the proposal to replace the building.

"If they could come up with a ground-breaking scheme for a really modern concert hall then we could accept it being demolished," she said. "But the idea of demolishing it and replacing it with something smaller is just awful."

Independent Cllr Anne Rey, who hoped to reopen the Winter Gardens during her year as mayor of Bournemouth, said the Liberal Democrats owed it to the town to fulfil their promises.

"It's a shame it has stood empty for so long. I wish we could have got the basic work done, the public entertainment licence renewed and asked the town to use it.

"But I'm as committed to it as ever. There's no point demolishing it and building a new hall. We could lose the excellent acoustics."

And former Liberal Democrat council leader Douglas Eyre, who used his casting vote as mayor to save the Winter Gardens in November 2001, said: "I'm very disappointed with the progress that has been made but unfortunately I don't think the council has the vision of what can be done.

"In the last 30 years, we have seen a decline in the artistic provision in Bournemouth while other cities have seen it as a central point in their economic and social revival. We've gone from the Premier League to the Vauxhall Conference.

"Along with others I shall be continuing to do what I can to influence the thinking of the council but at the moment I think they are in danger of missing a chance which may not come back again."

Meanwhile, Cllr Stephen Macloughlin, leader of the Conservative group, believes the public should be given the choice of selling the Winter Gardens and ploughing the money into the BIC and Pavilion.

"The council have painted themselves into a corner. Politically they are committed to it but all the evidence they are receiving is that there is no need for it," he said.

"For the sake of the town, the right thing to do is to sell the Winter Gardens site and reinvest it in our other facilities."

RESEARCH

Consultants Bonnar Keenlyside found demand and support for:

one, possibly two, 300 seater multi-purpose performance venues with rehearsal space, which could be used for dance, drama, comedy, cabaret and music by amateur and professional companies;

a music education resource centre, offering opportunities for working with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, with multimedia recording and editing studio, rehearsal room, music equipment, accredited classes and workshops;

an arthouse cinema;

modern visual arts and crafts exhibition space for local artists and touring exhibitions;

outdoor performance space;

art and craft activities for residents and visitors;

bar, cafe and restaurant facilities.

Creating this new arts centre would cost between £6 and £8 million and would require ongoing subsidy of between £300,000 and £500,000.

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