Shocking new pictures reveal the extent of the demolition taking place at a historic seafront site - where luxury flats are set to be built.

Developers are ripping out large parts of the Leas Pavilion plot in Folkestone as they prepare to construct scores of sea-view apartments, valued at up to £935,000.

The long-anticipated project has been sold as the best hope for preserving the Grade II-listed building, which was originally built in 1902 as an Edwardian tea room.

A spokesman for the developers Gustavia says "everything of historical value" has now been removed from the site - and parts of what remains need to be removed to allow for safe construction of the new homes above.

Historic items including the terracotta frontage, stained glass, wooden balustrades, and iron gates will be catalogued and repaired ahead of being reinstalled in the finished building.

However, observers have expressed their shock at the sight of heavy equipment within the former bar area, tearing down sections of the structure.

Mark Hourahane, vice-chairman of the New Folkestone Society, said: "Some elements need removing, checking, restoring, that sort of thing, and I appreciate that. But you don't do it with JCBs because that's going to destroy things.

"That material is now destroyed - that is not going to go back. You are getting a pastiche of the building really.

"It's a reconstruction - it's not the original building."

Little more than a week ago Gustavia had sought to reassure local people after a 'demolition notice' was published by Folkestone and Hythe District Council.

"We understand that some residents have been surprised to see large machinery on site at Leas Pavilion," the firm said, after the latest drone pictures showed the extent of the work.

"We would like to reassure residents that the machinery is being used to remove parts of the structure that are no longer fit for purpose and offer no historic value.

"The parts of the structure that are now being removed including the flat roof, parts of the walls and parts of the original foundations. The existing walls, built back in 1902, do not conform to current building regulations.

"When built they did not feature any form of insulation and over the years have corroded, resulting in water ingress. This in turn has destabilised the structure. As such they are being removed before being replaced with a structure that conforms to building regulations.

"Once the structure has been rebuilt the historical features from the original Pavilion, that have been carefully removed to enable their restoration, will be reinstated. This includes the terracotta façade, stained glass, wooden balustrades and iron gates."

For many years, the former theatre was best known as the Leas Club - a hugely popular nightspot. But since its closure in 2007, the building has fallen into significant disrepair, suffering from water damage and timber decay.

Work began on the nine-storey residential development of flats overlooking the English Channel this summer.

Speaking to KentOnline in June, Selahattin Yalcin, a director at Gustavia, said the local community can be confident "one of the town’s oldest jewels" will be in safe hands.

Mr Yalcin said: "We're fully aware that the pavilion holds many happy memories for the people of Folkestone.

"The local community can rest assured those memories will survive as we carefully return this beautiful pavilion to its original form within a refurbished structure which will stand for another 100 years and more.

Gustavia - which has engaged Hythe-based architects Hollaway Studio for the project - said the restoration will include "the precision removal, replenishment and reassembly of a number of the building's historical elements" in order to retain the building's original look.

"We will restore the pavilion according to the heritage planning conditions which require us to salvage as many of its original features," Mr Yalcin said.

"Historical elements that are going to be retained as original will be removed to keep them damage-free during main building works.

"Leas Pavilion has long been known as one of the town's oldest jewels. We cannot wait to polish that jewel and present it to the community."