UPDATED: Unsafe building in Aylesbury could have endangered lives, say council

Part of Aylesbury High Street remains closed again today (Wednesday) due to an unsafe building, however more details have emerged this morning about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The site of the incident - 112 High Street, AylesburyThe site of the incident - 112 High Street, Aylesbury
The site of the incident - 112 High Street, Aylesbury

The road closure was put in place on August 24 following a visit by AVDC planning staff and structural experts to 112 High Street, where demolition work was taking place on a structure in the middle of a terrace of buildings, close to the pedestrian entrance to Vale Park.

The visit raised alarms about the safety of the work that had recently been carried out and concerns about the stability of the building to the side of the demolition site.

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Neighbouring residents had already raised concerns with the district council about the quality of the working practices on site and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had been informed.

Following the visit, the council stopped the demolition work, shut down the building site with immediate effect and arranged for short term safety works to be undertaken to ensure the structure was as safe as possible.

Cllr Peter Strachan, cabinet member for planning and enforcement said: “The poor standard of this demolition work endangered lives, forced some of those living nearby to leave their homes and inconvenienced many residents and businesses unnecessarily.

"As this incident has shown, AVDC will take prompt action to protect the safety of the public and we will hold those responsible to account.”

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“Thank you to AVDC staff as well as to all the other agencies involved including Bucks County Council and the emergency services, who helped with the road closure, redirecting traffic and keeping the public safely away from the site.

"We are also grateful to nearby residents who notified us of their concerns; their information helped us to build a better picture of what was happening on the site.”

The ongoing closure affects the part of the High Street between the A418 roundabout and Albion Road with traffic diverted to an alternative route to protect the public.

Despite the closure, access to and from the events as part of Parklife Weekend at Vale Park (pictured above) was managed smoothly with no issues.

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Meanwhile, tenants in homes on one side of the site have had to move to alternative accommodation until it is safe to move back into their homes.

A report by structural engineers in the next few days will recommend what further actions need to be taken to ensure the site is made safe while AVDC is liaising with the owners of the building to ensure its condition will not be a risk to the public in the long term.