Historic pavilion faces bulldozer

Australia played at Boughton Park on their tour of England in 1878

An historic cricket pavilion once used by England legend WG Grace can be demolished, the High Court has ruled.

The pavilion, the 19th Century home of Worcestershire County Cricket Club, was to be demolished in 2006 but a conservation order halted the process.

High Court judges have now overturned that order meaning the ground, in the St John's area of Worcester, can be redeveloped by property developers.

The city council, which fought the move, said it was "very disappointed".

The ground, the first home of Worcestershire County Cricket Club, was known as the Cinderella ground and played host to one of the first Australia teams to tour England in 1878.

Conservation order

However, the 140-year-old black-and-white timbered pavilion fell into a state of disrepair and developers SJS Property Management bought the site.

The pavilion was temporarily saved in June 2006 when a family of nesting sparrows was found by city council officers.

The council imposed a conservation order on the site, but that has now been overturned by the High Court.

Attempts were made to get the pavilion listed but the bid was rejected by English Heritage.

City council planning manager Paul O'Connor said: "A direct consequence of this is that the area is no longer protected from demolition.

"This will mean that demolition can take place thereby affecting the character of the area.

"While the city council regards the whole area as important, it is clear that the future of Boughton Sports ground and the pavilion in particular is a great cause for concern."

SJS Property Management previously said the site did not have enough special interest for it to be saved, but it had compiled a full survey of the building for use in the city's archives.

The pavilion is unlikely to be torn down until after the spring to wait until the chicks of the nesting birds have left their home.