New University Campus

DSC_0472 (2)The University Campus Aylesbury Vale opened in January and has nearly 250 students. In conjunction with Aylesbury College and Bucks New University it offers full and foundation degree courses in a variety of professions. These include business management, engineering, health and social care and IT.
Love it or hate the new AVDC funded £16.5 million building has caused quite a stir amongst people in the town. It is quite imposing with its glistening white walls and curvy roof. Many traditionalists think that it does not blend with the historic canal basin. Since, however, all the original buildings, some dating back 200 years, have all been demolished the basin is now a modern showpiece for Aylesbury.

Chief Executive Ian Harper will be giving a talk on the new university on Thursday 28th January at 2.30 pm in the Lounge, Friends Meeting House, Rickford’s Hill, Aylesbury.

Could Petition of 2000 names save the old police station.

Since the Society published a story on our website and Facebook pages, about saving the old Police Station in Exchange Street from demolition, Karl Vaughan and the Aylesbury Remembered Facebook have launched a petition which has gathered over 2000 signatures. The petition has been delivered to Cllr Martin Tett Leader of Bucks County Council. It is hoped that he will take heed of the publics concern about the possible loss of this much loved old building and reverse the decision to demolish it in February.

The Aylesbury Society has been fighting to keep both these historic buildings since 2009. Our failure to get them listed by English Heritage in 2010 has never diminished our desire to see them back in use,  and saved for the town as one of the few remaining 1930’s buildings. They were built as a matching pair and, as such,  should remain so. To demolish one and leave the other would detract from the street scene.

Past excuses from all councils has been that no one wants them,  and they would be too expensive for potential owners to refurbish.   The excuse now is that the building needs to be demolished to make way for an entrance to the new car park.  However, having inspected the gap between the cinema and the police station,  there is ample space for 2 way traffic, similar to the existing Exchange St car park.. If absolutely necessary,  why not demolish part of the former prison wall to make additional access space. We are also told that 20 car park spaces would also be lost if the building remained.   This is nothing compared to the jobs that a new  restaurant would bring to the town. It would also support AVDC’s plan of making Aylesbury a ‘ a destination of choice,   and a centre for entertainment and the arts’. What better place for a restaurant than opposite the Waterside Theatre and next to the Odeon cinema.

It is never too late to change plans, and we would hope that council take notice of the calls to save our beloved old buildings.

New restaurant by the canal?

The Society is calling for the ground floor of Kingfisher House in Walton Street, just by the former canal basin, to be considered as a possible restaurant. Whilst the Society has no objection to the conversion of flats to the upper floors it feels that the area fronting the canal basin at ground floor level lends itself to conversion to a restaurant. This would also be in line with the District Council’s own leisure policy. A restaurant would be well placed for use by visitors to the theatre, tourists visiting by narrow- boat, walkers, and students from the new academy

Save the Old Police station call

Save the old Police station call

Could the old Police Station in Exchange Street be saved from demolition at the eleventh hour? Member Jonathan Gilpin is offering a lifeline for these much loved buildings.  He has an exciting plan to convert the buildings to an  up-market themed restaurant.

 

The Aylesbury Society has been fighting to keep both these historic buildings since 2009. Our failure to get them listed by English Heritage in 2010 has never diminished our desire to see them back in use,  and saved for the town as one of the few remaining 1930’s buildings. They were built as a matching pair and, as such,  should remain so. To demolish one and leave the other would detract from the street scene.

 

Past excuses from all councils has been that no one wants them,  and they would be too expensive for potential owners to refurbish. Now Mr. Gilpin has made an  offer to Bucks County Council that,  in our view,  cannot be refused.  The excuse now is that the building needs to be demolished to make way for an entrance to the new car park.  However, having inspected the gap between the cinema and the police station,  there is ample space for 2 way traffic, similar to the existing Exchange St car park.. If absolutely necessary,  why not demolish part of the former prison wall to make additional access space. We are also told that 20 car park spaces would also be lost if the building remained.   This is nothing compared to the jobs that a new  restaurant would bring to the town. It would also support AVDC’s plan of making Aylesbury a ‘ a destination of choice,   and a centre for entertainment and the arts’. What better place for a restaurant than opposite the Waterside Theatre and next to the Odeon cinema.

 

It is never too late to change plans, and we would hope that council is not as intransigent as some people think it is. So we ask Bucks County Council to engage as quickly as possible with the new likely buyer of these historic and iconic buildings and help save them for Aylesbury.

RIP – Pedestrianisation in Aylesbury is dead

Aylesbury town centre as a car free zone is no longer. Lack of funding for the rising bollards means that pedestrians are no longer safe in what they think is their zone. The photos were taken on a Tuesday morning at about 11.00 am. The whole town is now a free for all for motorists, taxi drivers and delivery men, many travelling through the town to miss the traffic lights and jams on the ring road. What can be done about it? Well its appears nothing, as cars use Kingsbury and Buckingham Street as a race track. Motorists are also ignoring ‘NO ENTRY’ signs in both George Street and Market Street. It is such a shame, as further pedestrianisation will be put on hold, as ‘they’ can’t enforce the current zones.