A MAJOR regional dance centre could open in Bournemouth Pavilion when restoration work is complete.

Council chiefs are considering converting the ground floor of the building into a 300-seat venue of dance studios.

Original plans for the Pavilion's renovation involved siting a themed family attraction on the ground floor and Aardman Animation was said to be interested in branding it a "Wallace and Gromit Exploratorium".

But these plans look set to be ditched as councillors instead attempt to incorporate some of the arts facilities originally planned for the Winter Gardens site into the Pavilion project.

The dance facilities would provide a base for Dance South West and other partner organisations and would be expected to generate 80,000 additional arts attendances per year.

Leader of the council Cllr Stephen MacLoughlin said: "The plans for a regional dance centre are incredibly exciting.

"It would be the first of its type anywhere in southern England. Given the interest in dance locally and the popularity of TV shows like Strictly Come Dancing, an attraction like this could be very successful in Bournemouth.

"Together with amended plans they fit in well with our priority to provide family friendly attractions and arts provision.

"But there will be a hefty cost implication and we're looking closely at the figures to work out how much trade the restored Pavilion will realistically generate if we run it in-house and what we can safely afford to do within our budget constraints."