AN historic pavilion could be knocked down after being branded “unsightly”.

The pavilion, along with the Braintree and Bocking Recreation Ground, on John Ray Street, were donated to residents of the district in 1927 by William Julien Courtauld.

A planning application has been submitted by trustees to knock down the pavilion.

The pavilion is classed as a “non-designated heritage asset of high significance”.

This means it is a building with a degree of significance and this must be considered in any planning decision.

Although the pavilion is in a poor condition, it is not deemed to be in a state of disrepair.

The application, submitted by Edward Paisley Associates, states that removal of the pavilion would “enhance the appearance of the site by removing unsightly structures.”

Braintree Council’s historic buildings consultant strongly objected to the proposal.

The objection said: “The demolition of the pavilion would result in the loss of a non-designated heritage asset of high local significance. I therefore strongly object and advise Braintree Council to refuse consent in accordance with both national and local heritage policies.

“While in poor condition I do not consider the heritage asset beyond reasonable repair and advise the applicant to enter into pre-application discussions with the local planning authority at their earliest opportunity.”

Chairman of trustees, Shaun Dedman, believes trustees would look to replace it in the future.

He said: “We had replied for renewal of the hoardings around the pavilion but this was rejected.

“So the hoardings have to come down, and the pavilion is in such a bad state we had no other options.

It is not fit for purpose at the moment.

“In the future, we would look to replace and upgrade the pavilion so it can be used by a wider range of the public, but that would be reliant on money of course.”