BOURNEMOUTH'S Winter Gardens faces being demolished and replaced with a smaller venue.

The idea is being promoted by council officers following a long-awaited report into the future of the historic concert hall.

The option of transforming the Winter Gardens into a "flagship" concert hall has been all but written off after the costs were estimated at between £12 and £15million with ongoing subsidy of £1million a year.

And of the other three possibilities facing councillors, officers believe knocking down the existing concert hall and building a smaller venue comparable in size with Wimborne's Tivoli Theatre or Christchurch's Regent Centre could be the best way forward. Members of Bournemouth council's cabinet will consider the options at their meeting on Wednesday but other councillors and residents will be consulted on three different proposals before a decision is made.

These are:

A basic refurbishment of the Winter Gardens, costing between £1 and £2million and around £300,000 a year in ongoing subsidy.

A high-quality refurbishment, costing between £6 and £8million and around £800,000 a year in ongoing subsidy.

Demolishing the existing building and developing a smaller venue and associated resources, including a music education centre, on the site. This would cost around £6 and £8million and ongoing subsidy of between £300,000 and £500,000.

Father Raphael, chairman of the Friends of the Winter Gardens, said the prospect of demolishing the hall was "totally unacceptable".

"That is totally contrary to what the Liberal Democrats were elected to do," he said. "They were elected on a platform to preserve the Winter Gardens and if they go back on that then I think they will cut their throats completely."

He urged councillors to support the idea of a high-quality refurbishment to turn the Winter Gardens into a top attraction for residents and visitors.

But council leader Cllr John Millward said the Winter Gardens should not be considered in isolation but in the context of a wider cultural policy.

"Any final scheme is not just going to be dependent on the council but also on various lottery and grant boards, the art college and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra," he said.

"If this is to be a success, everyone has got to play their part."

Conservative opposition leader Cllr Stephen MacLoughlin said he would like to see councillors and residents given the option of selling off the Winter Gardens and investing the money in the BIC and Pavilion.

"The fundamental issue remains the same - is there significant demand to warrant all the live public entertainment venues that we have in the town centre and would it not be better to concentrate the council's resources on the BIC and the Pavilion rather than spreading ourselves too thinly?" he said.

THE WINTER GARDENS MARK THREE?

If the current Winter Gardens concert hall were demolished and a new one developed, it would the third building to stand on the site.

1875: The original glass Winter Gardens building is built and provides a venue for early performances by the Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra.

1935: Original Winter Gardens is demolished, six years after the opening of the Pavilion.

1937: The current Winter Gardens is built as an indoor bowling centre.

1946: The building is converted to a concert hall.

2002: The Winter Gardens is closed as the row about its future rages on.

2004: A consultant raises the idea of demolishing the concert hall and building a smaller replacement.

First published: Sept 27