Campaigners name iconic Milton Keynes structure as one of the most at risk buildings in the UK

A national charity has named The Point in Milton Keynes as one of the most at risk buildings in the UK.

The Twentieth Century Society – the national charity and guardians of Britain’s modern architecture and design heritage considers the former nightlife hub among the top at risk buildings in the country.

Campaigners believe the building is at risk of demolition and have included it alongside an Art Deco holiday camp and a John Lewis building, as among the most iconic structures that could be destroyed in 2023.

Other popular buildings have been flagged as at risk of being redeveloped or further left to decay due to neglect.

In highlighting the building’s potential plight, the charity hopes the building can be reimaged and reused rather than destroyed.

The Twentieth Century Society says, as we begin to fully understand the grave environmental costs of demolition and its contribution to the climate crisis – more than 50,000 buildings a year are demolished in the UK, generating 126 million tonnes of waste -- the urgency to repurpose and reimagine these remarkable buildings becomes clear. Within the steel, glass and concrete walls of so many of these twentieth century landmarks, imaginative new uses can flourish that better serve the needs of the twenty first century, without resorting to the wrecking ball.

More information on the charity’s campaigns and the ‘Risk List’ can be found online here.

Latest public notices suggest that a developer will turn The Point into a housing development, which would cost over £150,000. Property developers, Galliard, have acquired the building and announced an intention to build a new housing project where the building stands.

Previously, alongside Historic England, The Twentieth Century Society had hoped to brand the building with Certificate of Immunity from listing status.

The Point has fallen from its past glory where it boasted a popular nightclub, cinema, and bingo hall. Its decline has been linked to the burgeoning popularity of Xscape which opened in Central Milton Keynes in 2000.

Since 2014 businesses have been looking to reuse the site, but local charities have looked to protect the building both for its history as the UK’s first multiplex, and potential to exist as a base for not-for-profit organisations.