Aylesbury’s MP has expressed her frustrations over Bucks Council’s lack of engagement with her campaign to remove obstructive scaffolding in the town’s high street.

For years scaffolding has been erected to protect the public from the collapsed damaged building at 112 High Street in Aylesbury.

Earlier this year, Laura-Kyrke Smith, the town’s MP, announced a campaign to address the scaffolding which covers a majority of the pavement, forcing people in wheelchairs onto a busy road to navigate the street on the outskirts of the town centre.

This weekend, the MP revealed on social media that the council has not engaged with her campaign and five messages from her office regarding the scaffolding have not been returned.

Laura Kyrke-Smith next to the offending scaffolding

placeholder image — Laura Kyrke-Smith next to the offending scaffolding

Bucks Council told the Bucks Herald it is in touch with the owner of the private property, next to El Halal in Aylesbury, and is calling for the scaffolding to be redesigned. The authority says confirming changes is difficult due to the number of parties involved in the decision-making process.

Ms Kyrke-Smith said: “It’s now been four months since I wrote to Buckinghamshire Council about the scaffolding, and I’ve still not received a reply. My team have chased the Council five times. That’s simply not good enough. I’ve followed up again to press for a full and substantive response, and I’ll continue doing so until we get one.”

In the summer the Labour politician launched a petition on her website drumming up local support for a safety review into the current arrangement. She writes that her and other signees are ‘deeply concerned’ with the overbearing scaffolding which they consider to be ‘dangerous’.

Ms Kyrke-Smith wants a structural engineer to assess the site with a view to the scaffolding being redesigned to allow room for wheelchairs, prams and other path users who may need more space. The MP would also like a timeline to be arranged outlining when the scaffolding can come down permanently.

The scaffolding has been in place for over seven years

Bucks Council has previously outlined difficulties with enforcing change in the area due to the crumbling building being privately owned.

Councillor Thomas Broom told The Bucks Herald: "We fully understand the ongoing frustrations residents have regarding pavement access at this location. We are equally keen to see this situation resolved, particularly as the ongoing cost of keeping the building safe is currently being met by the council.

"This is a very complex matter involving a number of different parties. We have asked for a redesign of the scaffolding to include a pedestrian walkway, but we are still waiting for this. We are also in discussions with other stakeholders who have a connection to the property with a view to the longer-term proposals for the building. For now, the scaffolding must remain in place for safety reasons, and we continue to encourage pedestrians to take extra care or find an alternative route to safely navigate the location.”

The scaffolding has been in place for over seven years and Ms Kyrke-Smith told the BBC earlier this year that the firm which owned the building went into liquidation and it is now the property of the Crown Estate.

Several residents have expressed frustrations and safety concerns regarding the scaffolding which has also affected El Halal’s footfall.