INTENSE negotiations were taking place this week over the future of the long term manager of the Princess Pavilion in Falmouth.

Bob Phipps, 51, who lives in Gyllyngvase Terrace, Falmouth, is expected to take early retirement this week under a new restructuring plan being implemented by the owners Carrick district council. He has been the manager there for over 20 years.

Also effected by the redundancies, which are expected to start from August 11, are thought to be the assistant manager, Roger Ockwell, who has been there 13 years, and two other members of staff.

Details of the redundancies are not clear but a meeting was due to take place between Carrick officers and pavilion staff this week.

The move has been condemned by the Friends of the Pavilion whose president, Barbara Boase, says she is outraged by what has been going on. She and others supportive of the pavilion feel it could be the final nail in the coffin to a centre the town should be proud of.

"I really feel gutted about it," she said "I know how hard these boys work and they enjoy their job. They are always willing to muck in and get their hands dirty, who else is going to do that?

"I don't know what the reasoning behind it is. I can only think that Carrick wants the pavilion to fail. The site is very attractive to developers, especially those who want to put up a retirement flats."

Head of tourism at Carrick, Terry Beckett, refused to comment on the redundancies but said they had been taken at the highest level. He said the council was still dedicated to keeping the pavilion open to the public.

"I can only refer you back to the minutes of various meetings about the pavilion over the last couple of years," he told the Packet. "You will be able to see the council's policy on the pavilion is very clear on maintaining it for the public.

"It is not strictly true that a decision on the redundancies has been made. The council's cabinet still has the power to call it in by the end of the week. If that does not happen then clearly some people will be leaving the Pavilion."

The decision to make the staff redundant comes at a time when the pavilion has recently been refurbished at a cost of £160,000.

The new facilities include a multi-function room, with full central heating, to complement the theatre, a dance floor, new bar and cafe areas, a sophisticated sound and lighting system, an indoor toilet and facilities for the disabled.

For the last few years the pavilion has been losing hundreds of thousands of pounds culminating in a loss of £193,000 last year.

Mrs Boase has written a letter to the chairman of Carrick outlining her disgust at its decision to sack Mr Phipps, she says she is dismayed at the council's lack of support and promotion for the centre.

She has condemned the timing of the redundancies when entertainment at the pavilion is in full swing and is also handing in a 2,293 signature petition opposing the council's proposal to sell off the pavilion's stable block to developers to build new homes.

The block is currently used to store equipment used by the pavilion. Although the pavilion itself isn't in a conservation area, the bandstand and gardens are protected.

Carrick have spent thousands of pounds this year on renovating the bar and cafe area. But the Friends of the Princess Pavilion also want the Victorian veranda restored and other work carried out as well to bring the complex back to its former glory.