House Demolition in Southcourt

A derelict house in Southcourt was demolished this week (week commencing Monday 24 March 2025). The house was underneath the Bourg Walk at the far end of Coxhill Way (with a street address of 15 California). The building was next door to the martial arts school.

Pictured below in happier times from Google maps street view.

The demolished building is shown in the red square on the map below.

There does not appear to have been a planning application for the demolition so the demolition came as a surprise to many. I found out about the demolition from a Facebook post on one of the local Facebook groups.

Buckinghamshire Council was engaged in enforcement action against the property owners over the state of the building. The building had been vandalised repeatedly in recent years and was in poor condition. It is possible that the demolition was an agreed action to remedy the enforcement action. However, that usually requires a minimal planning application before building demolition.

A close eye will need to be kept on future uses of the site. The back garden was turned into a car park for a local taxi firm in 2023. The taxis and minibuses are gone following the demolition. It is unclear what the site will be used for next. A change to commercial use may be appropriate but planning permission should be sought for change of use.

Here are photos of what the site looks like after demolition.