A FIRE-RAVAGED 100-year-old Newport building renovated just five years ago could be set to be rebuilt over the next few months.

Last August councillors and residents were left shocked after an arson attack gutted the grade II listed Rustic Tea House in Belle Vue Park.

Almost a year on from the incident a spokeswoman for Newport Council said it hopes work to rebuild the house will begin later this summer.

It would be expected to take three months to finish, she said, adding the council has had to find specialist suppliers so it can meet the building’s specific restoration needs.

The attack took place in the early hours of August 13 2010, leaving the previously scenic retreat in ruins.

Almost all of the building’s terracotta tiles had fallen and smashed to the ground, with the house’s beams left exposed to the elements.

It was only a few years earlier, in 2006, that Newport Council had restored the building as part of a £1.2 million lottery-backed scheme.

The project had also seen the park’s pavilion, terrace and bandstand revamped.

The Rustic Tea House was originally built in 1910 to meet the demand from park visitors for a place to buy refreshments.

It was more recently used by park visitors as a place to sit and rest, and as a venue for story telling sessions for children.

Police said the fire was deliberately set, while city council development manager John Woods estimated the cost of reversing the damage to be a five-figure sum.