An award-winning building which formed part of a mental health retreat has been torn down after ten years due to “vandalism and inactivity”.

The hand-painted timber structure was set in a secluded, wooded area of Dartford’s Central Park known as ‘Ecology Island’.

For those struggling with their mental health it included community arts studio, bird-watching hide and park shelter all rolled into one.

Also included was an outdoor classroom and storage space at ground level with an enclosed room upstairs offering views of the River Darent and surrounding greenery.

But the wooden hut, which formed part of a still ongoing project at the site between North Kent Mind and the North West Countryside Alliance and funded by Dartford council, has now been taken down.

It comes after the local authority said in recent times it had become “susceptible to vandalism” and was often out of use.

Dog walker Peter Gray, who lives nearby in Brent Lane, expressed his disappointed at its dismantling.

He told KentOnline: “I walk past the building every day with my dog.

“There has been a little bit of damage over the time where it was not used, but I am sure some outside group would have liked to recycle the building or maybe use it as a bicycle shed for the flats built at the edge of the park.

“It’s such a shame it has been turned into a pile of matchwood.”

He added: “I have been in touch with the councillor and I was told it’s the councils land and they can do what they like. So much for democracy.”

Volunteers who attended the retreat worked together to learn conservation and wildlife preservation techniques while also getting outdoors and meeting new friends.

Speaking at the time, one person to have benefitted said: “I felt that I needed to meet other people y'know. I've met this guy today who has similar interests, and we had a great chat and doing a bit of whittling.

It’s such a shame it has been turned into a pile of matchwood

“I had a lot of issues when I left work and I went to see Mind in Gravesend, and I had some counseling.

“This is one of the things that was arisen out of it and I've really enjoyed it.”

The former building, known as ‘Ecology of Colour’, took just two months to build and was erected on a “modest budget”.

A team of residents and artists had worked together in painting the workshop, to produce each of the 144 panels which formed the external cladding.

It was designed by art architecture company Studio Weave who were behind major projects at St Pancras and The Barbican in London.

Getting them involved was seen at the time as a “real coup for the area” and the building’s unique design went on to win a Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) South East Award in 2013.

It also won Building of the Year and the Small Project Award, for the same region.

Speaking at the time, RIBA president Angela Brady said: “The RIBA Awards set the standard for great architecture in the UK.

“These are projects that represent architectural excellence on a national level.

“Investing in good design for our towns and communities is vital; even in hard times we must continue to create vibrant and inspiring buildings and places for future generations to use and enjoy.”

A spokesman for Dartford council said: “We’re very proud of all the things we’ve done in Central Park and local people seem appreciative of all the hard work done by our dedicated landscaping team to create a beautiful public space.

“The park evolves all the time and it’s important to us that we don’t stand by and let areas become unwelcoming.

“The wooden hut served the park for more than decade but was unfortunately susceptible to vandalism and was often out-of-use. We have to make sure everything in the park is safe for everybody.

“Central Park is one of the jewels in Dartford’s crown and we have some very special plans for ecology island that will not only encourage flora and fauna to thrive but provide a space to inspire all the community, but especially young people, to understand more about the environment and the natural world.

“Our landscape and environment teams expect the work to be completed by the end of Spring.”