A popular park cafe in Lancaster is unlikely to reopen in its current form after damage during Storm Eowyn.
Williamson Park cafe was forced to close after suffering structural damage in gale force winds as the storm battered the UK in January.
Park owners Lancaster City Council are now looking at options for the future of the building, which could be removed and/or replaced.
Councillor Paul Hart, cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services from the Liberal Democrats, said: "Williamson Park is one of the district’s most popular attractions and we know how important the café is to visitors.
“Through our Fit for Future project, which is reviewing a number of the council’s assets, we are looking at a long-term replacement, but in the meantime we’ve had to make some difficult decisions.
“A recent report has highlighted significant structural concerns following the damage cause by Storm Eowyn, meaning that the café is unlikely to reopen in its current form.
“Our priority now is to put in place a temporary offer to serve visitors through the summer while we develop plans for a replacement facility.”
Other nearby park attractions, including the Butterfly House, remain open and are unaffected, said the council.
At a Lancaster City Council meeting last Wednesday, Councillor Joanne Ainscough, of Labour, asked about the future of the cafe.
"The cafe is shut, the appeal to the park is diminished and that threatens visitor numbers," said Councillor Ainscough.
Council leader Councillor Caroline Jackson of the Greens, in response, said the Fit for Future group was set up to look at the future of the cafe before the storm damage.
"It was always a matter of whether we can afford it and how quickly we can get something onsite," said Councillor Jackson.
"There is a plan to fence off the back area, because the back area leads to the zoo.
"The removal of the actual building itself, (the council) planning (department) were looking at any particular reasons why we might have to keep it, but I don't think they'd found any. So planning are looking at whether we can remove that building.
"Those who are working there have already been redirected to other cafes and areas of the council.
"So yes, a solution is being put forward. We are not intending to lose business.
"There is already a coffee van serving at weekends, and they are using other mobile provision. But I don't know that a coffee van and an ice cream van are all that we want. So yes, we wil push on with that as soon as possible."
Councillor Ainscough said after the meeting: “I want to bring the council’s full attention to the work that has already been done regarding the café at Williamson Park.
"Anyone who has visited recently will know that the building has not been in the best shape for some time. For 18 months while I was on cabinet, I pushed for swift action to replace the cafe building, as staff have been working in increasingly difficult conditions. Williamson Park is a key destination for residents and visitors alike and the cafe is an essential part of the offer, both during the day and when evening events take place.
"A significant amount of effort and money has already gone into planning a ready-to-go solution that would get the cafe and park back to full strength quickly. Yet now, when the need for action has become urgent, the Green party led administration wants to hit the reset button, dithering and forming a committee to drag us back to square one and wasting resources, when the work has already been done."
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