Crumbling community centre set to be bulldozed as South Ribble village gets ready to replace it

Villagers in Gregson Lane near Preston are looking forward to seeing their 50-year-old building tumble after raising the cash to build a new one.

A demolition firm has applied to South Ribble Council for permission to knock the old one down and prepare the ground off Gregson Lane for a new modular building ready to be delivered.

Residents have spent the past 10 years raising £200,000 towards the project. And after the local council gave a £300,000 grant last year to make up the shortfall it was mission accomplished.

If approved the demolition work will take just four days. Locals say they are surprised the old building, which closed last October, hasn't fallen down by itself.

"To be honest I don't know how it survived so long,” said Jacqui Gibson who is chair of the Gregson Green charity, named after the Gregson Lane and Coupe Green area of South Ribble.

Once the old building has gone, the new one will be delivered in sections. "It will arrive on the back of a lorry and be craned into place,” explained Jacqui. “The floor and the ceiling will be in one piece and then it will all be put together. Things like the toilets will have to be concreted in. We’re expecting a lot of people will want to come down and watch it being done."

Coun Chris Lomax commented: “It’s been a long time coming . . let’s just get on and get it built.”