PLANS for a children’s centre within a Poole park may have been axed but the lodge it would have destroyed is still at risk.

Edwardian Alexandra Park would have lost its caretaker’s lodge if proposals for a £280,000 centre for families with under-fives had gone ahead.

The three-bedroom house would have been demolished to make way for the new building and its loss was one of the reasons many residents opposed the plans.

It was unanimously rejected by Poole’s planning committee in September and resident Sue Hockey, who campaigned against the application, said at the time: “Everybody is absolutely delighted that the lodge has been saved.”

However Councillor Phil Eades, who represents Branksome West raised concerns about it and asked: “Why has the council let a valuable council asset deteriorate to such a state that it requires demolition?”

Councillor Don Collier, cabinet member for the environment, said the lodge, which had been empty since 2008, could not be used for anything other than in connection with the public open space on which it stood.

“This rules out selling it or letting it on the open market as a single dwelling house,” he said. It had an extremely limited number of uses and the council did not provide permanent service tenancies in parks, he added.

“Maintaining it for no use is a waste of public money, something we cannot and should not do,” he said.

“Ultimately it will probably have to be demolished. We are looking for something else to use it for.”

Richard Hickman, assets and strategy manager at the Borough of Poole said: “Alexandra Park Lodge is in need of some repair but it is not unsuitable for habitation.

“Currently no decisions have been made about the accommodation although alternative options are being investigated in order to bring it back into beneficial use.”