Former Gala Bingo hall in Aylesbury to be demolished

Work will start this week on knocking down the former Gala Bingo building on Aylesbury High Street which has sat empty for years. 

Residents have received letters warning them of the work which will see a number of car parking spaces in Exchange Street blocked off. 

The council say that 252 of the 278 spaces will remain open however, adding that there is 'ample alternative parking' in Upper Hundreds and Walton Street car parks. 

The demolition is the first part of the 'Pavilion Quarter' project which is expected to regenerate the town centre by linking The Exchange to the High Street. 

Plans unveiled for £5m development to 'breathe life' into Bucks town (Image: Buckinghamshire Council) (Image: Buckinghamshire Council)

The development, which is named after the former cinema on the site, will host new small businesses including start-ups, as well as provide new event space and routes. 

There will also be entertainment opportunities with the creation of a dedicated space with the potential to stage music and cultural events.  

Rachael Matthews, Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet member for Town Centre Regeneration branded the project an "exciting step forward".

She added: "I really look forward to seeing work progress on both schemes.

"I do recognise with the Pavilion Quarter site that there is some affection for the old building that is making way for the new development, and we will be making sure that the history of the site is reflected in the new space.

"Demolishing a building in the middle of a busy town centre isn’t without its challenges but I’m confident we’re able to keep disruption to a minimum; we are working closely with our contractors who will be operating a considerate construction approach including keeping noisy works to permitted set hours and carefully monitoring vehicle movement.

"The site should be cleared by early next year, paving the way for the next phase of the work.”

READ MORE: £5m plans unveiled to 'breathe life' into Aylesbury

Work also starts in the coming weeks to create 46 new apartments at the former Old County Offices site in Aylesbury Town Centre.

The development follows a successful application for £690,000 worth of grant funding from the previous Government, under the Brownfield Land Release Funding (BLRF). 

This work is not expected to have as much of an impact on parking as the demolition though some spaces will be lost at the Waterside North car park.