LONG-awaited plans to demolish and rebuild the derelict Lynmouth Pavilion to create a new national park information centre look set to get the go-ahead.

Although the historic pavilion has been a prominent and familiar sight on the local street scene for 80 years, it has fallen into disrepair and structural surveys have found it is not even fit for refurbishment.

Instead, Exmoor National Park Authority is now seeking permission to demolish the 1930s pavilion and replace it with a new-build visitor centre.

The plan has the support of Lynton and Lynmouth Town Council, while conservation experts, although not entirely happy with the proposals, accept a well designed replacement will look better than the existing rundown pavilion.

Four letters supporting the retention of a community facility at the site have also been received by the park authority.

Planning committee members are due to discuss the rebuild proposals when they meet on January 10.

The pavilion dates from 1932 and although considered as a "heritage asset", it is currently empty, boarded up and in a bad state of repair.

Over the years it has been used as a waiting area for ferry passengers, as public toilets, for storage, a theatre and as a national park information centre.

Committee members will be told it was originally hoped to alter, extend and refurbish the building but a report from structural engineer sounded the death knell for that particular proposal.

The engineers found that steel beams supporting the first floor had corroded beyond repair and first floor walls were also falling apart.

The work needed to repair just those two elements would effectively lead to the demolition of the building.

But other parts of the building were also rotten and the engineers recommended using what could be salvaged and incorporating it into a completely new pavilion.

Items earmarked for salvage include the steel roof, decorative steel brackets on the balcony and a ticket booth on the first floor.

Other historical features will be replicated from scratch, including profiled cornice, columns and other "fascia details".

The new building will incorporate facilities for a visitor information centre, a shop and an "audio visual experience" to reflect the history and future of Lynton and Lynmouth and the wider national park.

The first floor will be used for a range of purposes and include a new lift, disabled access and toilets.

An extension would be added to the rear of the building to create office space and a small domestic-scale kitchen.

A report to the committee says: "The new main gable feature windows will reflect the original 1930s design and will incorporate a circle motif, while the remainder of the proposed first floor windows will be similarly treated with a more simple design.

"The original design of the ground floor open waiting area for ferry passengers will be maintained with the new structure and detailing mimicking the original.

"Within the new ground floor area, new shop front windows and an entrance door will be installed."

Planning officers have recommended the proposals for approval as the building is in the "heart of the Lynmouth community" and an improved information centre will bring widespread benefits.

An officers' report says: "The Lynmouth Pavilion has stood on this prominent site for 80 years and is a familiar sight within the Conservation Area.

"However, the building is in a poor state of repair and the structural survey highlights many structural failings and concerns, such that it is concluded that demolition and rebuilding is the only practical option.

"The proposal is to rebuild with a matching design with detailing to a high standard so that the appearance of the site will be little altered from past times.

"This also provides the opportunity to provide disabled access, raise the floor levels to reduce the potential for marine flooding and ensure that the building is constructed to high levels of sustainability."