A town council has secured funding from the government to build its new, multi-million-pound sports facility.

The Pavilion Community Sports and Social Club, in Swanscombe, is set to be demolished and replaced as it comes to “the end of its life expectancy”.

Earlier this year, Greenhithe and Swanscombe Town Council chairman Peter Harman said the local authority had decided to renew the building.

Plans were drawn up to replace the club, in The Grove, with a £4 million sports facility including changing facilities and showers available for those using the sports pitches, a cafe/bar, a public hall, function rooms and an enhanced viewing area for the sports fields.

Today, it has been revealed the project will be paid for by the government’s Youth Investment Fund as part of its plans to give young people better access to positive out-of-school activities.

The town council has received £4,385,174 to go towards the scheme which will help it to offer a variety of activities including mental health support groups, family support groups, gigs and performances.

Cllr Harman added: “We are delighted and grateful for the funding. It means the people of Greenhithe and Swanscombe will not be directly paying for it.

“It is going to have a lot of great facilities with community rooms available. It is really good news.”

It is hoped work will be able to start within the next few months.

The current club opened in 1969 and is used by football and cricket teams while the hall receives bookings for children’s parties, senior lunches and fitness clubs.

The community boost comes as Kent County Council (KCC) look to introduce additional Family Hubs in the county which will see some changes to how some services such as youth hubs, children centres and health visiting services are provided

It is part of a national programme to bring together different services so families and young people can easily get the support they need.

The government has outlined services such as infant feeding support, support for children with SEND, mental health support for new parents and parenting support must be delivered in these hubs.

Across the country, 44 youth centres will share a slice of the government’s £70 million pot.

It comes as the culture secretary Lucy Frazer sets out her vision for the youth sector, that every young person should have “someone to talk to, something to do, somewhere to go.”

She added: “I want every young person to have the opportunity to access the kinds of life-changing activities which expand their horizons and allow them to develop vital life skills.

“These next 44 youth centres will give 12,000 more young people the opportunity to access these activities, building on the first tranche of Youth Investment Fund investment.”

The investment is targeting youth services in some of the country’s most underserved areas where there the need is high and existing provision is low.

The new funding means more than £160 million will have been committed to 87 centres in England since 2021. Around 300 projects are expected to be built or renovated over the next two years.