THE Pavilion Project will not be axed by Winchester City Council, its leader has insisted.

Uncertainty surrounded the future of the scheme after the council declared it would be reviewing its budget in December in the light of the collapse in income caused by coronavirus.

Cllr Lucille Thompson has claimed that chiefs are working closely with the Pavilion Project community group to ensure the hub at North Walls Recreation Ground is replaced.

She said that the council’s pledged funding of £595,000 remains available.

But she added that the plans may be ‘brought into scale’ of the council’s budget for 2021/22, which is likely to be £3.7million less than 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The plans for a new pavilion at North Walls go back as far as 2016,” said Cllr Thompson. “It has been fully supported by this council which has offered funding and paid for the planning application process.

“Funding still remains available for the project but our officers are currently working with members of the project to amend the designs to bring them in scale of our budget.”

Former city councillor Kim Gottlieb, who raised the topic at a full council meeting last Wednesday, asked if a team of architects are looking to see which costs could be reduced.

Cllr Thompson responded: “We are doing all we can to bring the project in line of our budget.”

In 2017, the city council’s Winchester Town Forum planned for a basic £300,000 replacement of the cricket pavilion at North Walls Recreation Ground.

However, an alternative innovative proposal was brought forward by the community group Pavilion Project and local architects, AR Design based in Little Minster Street.

The city council pledged additional support for the project earlier this year which made the total of £590,000 to add to community pledges of £160,000 and £50,000 from Sport England.