PLANS to refurbish the Pavilion could cost £30 million but leave Bournemouth with a venue that could not rival the Winter Gardens, it has been alleged.

Liberal Democrat Cllr Ken Mantock made the claim as councillors considered a bid for cash to revamp the Pavilion and BIC under the government's Private Finance Initiative (PFI).

The government has earmarked around £9.8 million in grants towards the project, which depends on the sale of the Winter Gardens to housing developer Barratt.

Stephen Godsall, Bournemouth Borough Council's director of leisure and tourism, said that without PFI money, the council could have to trim its plans "to the sort of level where you won't possibly get the result you want".

But Cllr Mantock said the authority could find itself spending £20-30 million on a building which could not offer the same facilities as the concert hall.

"There are certainly people who went along with selling off the Winter Gardens and using that money to plough into the Pavilion in order to provide a building that was comparable and better - and so far I've seen nothing that proves that that's going to happen," he told the council's scrutiny panel on the economy.

The panel heard the council was within days of signing a conditional deal with Barratt to sell the Winter Gardens.

The developer was then expected to submit a planning application to the council.

Councillors heard the government had agreed to give the authority until March to produce an outline business case for its Pavilion and BIC plans, instead of the original deadline of January.

Conservative Cllr Bruce Heath said the Pavilion could not compare with the Lighthouse, Poole's refurbished arts centre.

"The Pavilion is dull and dismal in comparison so we've got to spend money on it.

"If we don't bring the Pavilion up to a good modern standard, it's going to cost us a lot of money," he said.

Cllr Steve Clarke claimed the costs of the Pavilion and BIC project could rise to £40 million. "PFI is not free money. It's a loan that has to be paid back," he added.

But Labour group leader Cllr Vic Williams urged councillors to be upbeat about the project. "We've got an opportunity to go forward and we've got to grasp it," he said.