Plans lodged to repair fire-hit bowls pavilion

Plans have been submitted to repair a bowls pavilion that was partly destroyed in a fire earlier this year.

The building at Usworth Park in Washington, which was damaged in a suspected arson attack, would undergo extensive repair work under proposals lodged with Sunderland City Council.

The scheme includes replacement windows, new external rendering and changes to the pavilion's entrance to meet current building regulations.

After the blaze, bowling club president, Barrie Bulch, said "people were in tears to see the club go up in smoke".

Sunderland City Council applied for permission to carry out repairs to the pavilion, which was severely damaged during the fire in May.

Planning documents described the structure as having been "partly destroyed in an arson incident" and said the proposed works were intended to repair the damage while accommodating changes required by current building regulations.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the plans include filling in an existing stepped entrance on the left-hand side of the front elevation and replacing it with a window. Access would instead be maintained through a level entrance on the opposite side of the building.

According to the application, defective external render would also be removed and replaced along with most of the building's windows.

The clubhouse, which was gradually updated over the years, was understood to date back to the 1920s. Planning documents stated it was currently vacant, although the bowling green remained in use.

The fire happened just weeks before members of Usworth Bowling Club were due to celebrate the club's 100th anniversary.

At the time, Bulch said members had been left "absolutely devastated".

A decision on the application is expected after a consultation period.

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