THE PIER pavilion will change to four day opening from next month in plans to "ensure the long term future" of the building.

The building on The Esplanade will be open from Thursdays to Sundays from March as part of a seasonal opening programme which those who manage the building say will allow them to maximise its use.

The pavilion underwent a £4 million restoration in 2013 funded by lottery, Welsh Government, Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cadw and Coastal Communities Fund funding.

The building and the pier is owned by the Vale of Glamorgan Council but is leased by Penarth Arts and Crafts Limited (PACL).

The cafe recently achieved a four rating from its latest hygiene inspection from the Food Standards Agency.

Now PACL says it has used the last three years to consider how best to safeguard the future of the building for years to come and increase footfall.

The new opening times will be from 10am until 6pm from Thursday to Sunday and these times will be extended during the summer months.

The pavilion cinema will close until after the summer season from March 6 due to a drop off in usage with conferences and meetings being planned for it during this time.

The facility will still be available for community groups and activities such as Tai Chi and the mother and toddler group throughout the week.

Tony Hazell is chairman of PACL and says they are looking to provide more and a greater variety of activities and ensure the building is used as much as possible during opening hours.

He said that the current seven day opening is "unsustainable."

"We have collected a lot of information over the past three years and learnt some lessons.

"Incremental changes have been made and we are ready to put a more robust plan in place for the future.

"We want to develop it as a multi-purpose facility including the continuing improvement of our cafe, a varied programme of events and a new membership and patrons scheme as well as further developing our team of loyal supporters."

He said that there are financial challenges and that the difficulty three years ago was that there was no facility like this at the time.

But he added that they are keen to engage more with their loyal supporters and that they recognise that the people have an important stake in the future of this building.

"We want to create space and time," he said.

"We want to see something going on in the building every day that it is open.

"It will take time and won't happen over night but change has been a constant and we have an obligation to keep improving."