Demolition has begun at an old community centre.

Heather House in Park Wood, Maidstone, is in the process of being torn down and will be replaced with a new hub.

Plans for the centre’s transformation were approved last April by Maidstone council.

The building in Bicknor Road, backing onto Parkwood Recreation Ground, was used by Maidstone Boxing Club.

Work has now started to tear down the site.

Pictures show the building surrounded by fencing, with only the skeleton of the structure remaining.

A new community hub will take its place and is set to include a sports hall, kitchen, storage, bar and social lounge area.

It will also have four sets of changing rooms and a Changing Places facility to provide toilets and showers for the disabled.

The new hub will meet the latest energy efficiency standards, resulting in lower long-term maintenance and running costs.

It will be similar in size to the former building, but moved further away from an existing area of ancient woodland and closer to the edge of the playing field.

A spokeswoman for the council has confirmed the community centre will be completed by February next year.

It was expected to be completed this November, but has since been pushed back.

Plans were previously criticised by council members, who believed the emphasis appeared to be on sports rather than the people who live in the area.

Maidstone council decided to allocate £956,420 of its Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which will be used to part-fund its construction.

The local authority has also secured a £100,000 grant from the government's Land Release Funding scheme towards the project.

In 2017, the community centre was shut after serious concerns were raised over the condition of the building.

It later reopened following public outrage – including an 800-signature petition – after emergency repairs were carried out.

At the time its long-time future was unknown.

Repairs needed to make the building last another 15 years were valued at £765,000.

It was decided that demolition and rebuilding was the cheaper option.