The town council has arranged for scaffolding to be installed in the Abbey Hall (Guildhall) to allow experts to safely access and remove ceiling tiles containing asbestos. This process is complex, costly, and requires approval from the HSE, which will take several weeks.

The council has granted the Abbey Cinema rent-free use of the Old Magistrates’ Court from 4th November 2024 to 31st January 2025 and free use of the Roysse Room on 14th and 15th December for pantomime performances. The Abbey Cinema will be screening Paddington in Peru in The Old Magistrates Court from 8th November, and have invested in new projection, audio, and screen technology. Tickets price of all films will be reduced to £7.50.

The scaffolding erected at the Dangerous Building at 3 West St Helen Street does mean the building is unlikely to fall on anybody, but has unfortunately created accessibility problems. There is no pedestrian or vehicle access through the alleyway to the courtyard behind. The lack of ramps on either side of West St Helen Street, and the narrowed roadway make it difficult for mobility scooters etc. .

The recent removal of the scaffolding in front of Howden – the Insurance Broker – has improved the building’s visibility. It is now easier to see the friendly faces of the people inside, as well as two boards with local community information. I can also see Howden are celebrating Halloween and have a scheme where ‘people will be able to visit and swap a pair of football boots that no longer fit, for a pair that do.’

P.S. The following picture is the one described by Michael Harrison in the comment.

A former World War I barracks, has survived until the present.

It is unused and delipidated and there are plans to demolish it and replace it with two houses.

After World War I, the barrack hut was moved to its present location in Swinburne Road, Abingdon, as a Boys Club. It then served as a day hospital and a Home Guard base (evenings and weekends) during World War II.

In the postwar years, the building became a dance studio. It operated under the names ‘Bretts of Abingdon’ and later ‘Selleck School of Dancing’ and the ‘Abingdon Dance Studio.’ The Abingdon Dance Studio has since moved to Larkmead Secondary School and West Wing Studio.

The barrack room hut is still standing with a concrete extension, and a car park, but not for much longer. The latest planning application for its demolition is under review by the Vale of White Horse District Council. Nobody dances there anymore. Nobody says, ‘Don’t Panic!’

Located in The Vineyard in Abingdon, The Old Maltings was originally built, as the name suggests, for malting.

In 1999, the building was converted into the offices of Sovereign Housing Association, who manage most of the social housing in Abingdon. The building had open-plan office spaces, meeting rooms and car parking beneath. But Sovereign have moved their offices from Abingdon and it was sold.

Recent planning approvals have opened the way for it to become residential. The existing Maltings at the back is set to be converted into 21 residential flats under planning applications approved a year ago in 2023. There are pending applications to construct two new houses in the former car park and a 5-bedroom House with Multiple Occupancy at the front. The last plan will remove the external staircase, lift, and canopy. This will maximize the amount of housing and reduce the amount of car parking and change the front which the developer described as ‘unsightly later additions’.

Public comment on the proposals have closed. A final decision has not been made, but some of the work is progressing.