Basildon Swanmead Centre urgent demolition ordered

The Swanmead Centre, on Church Road in Basildon, had been subjected to reported drug use and anti-social behaviour alongside repeated damage, meaning the order for the building to be destroyed was the council’s “only option”.

Most recently occupied by the Basildon Disabled Sports Club, the centre had been used as a polling station and a host for coffee mornings in recent years, but has been vacant since 2025.

Basildon Council said the building had been left in an “extremely poor condition” and the demolition was a safety precaution.

It added residents were not told because “further break-ins” made the work urgent.

The site was plagued by vandalism. (Image: Newsquest)

Basildon Disabled Sports and Social Club was the most recent tenant. (Image: BDSSC/NQ)

Residents said the building was plagued with anti-social behaviour and claimed they had often seen groups of people hanging around.

One man, who has lived on the road opposite for more than 50 years, said he came back from holiday to find the site boarded up.

"I looked in and the building was gone," he said. "They wanted to build houses on the park a few years ago but Kerry Smith fought tooth and nail to get that free, and to extend the little children's park."

His daughter said the reports of vandalism and drug use do not come as a surprise.

She said: "They are always going up and down here on their bikes with balaclavas, doing drug deals around here," she said. "You just have to look around the bottom of the clothes bin and you'll see it all going on."

An 'urgent demolition' was ordered. (Image: Newsquest)

'Significant vandalism' led to the order for demolition. (Image: Newsquest)

Both said they did not know anything about the demolition prior to seeing the wooden boarding up, as did Mr Smith, who added he was "worried" after finding out about the news, referring to the previous plan to build 170 homes on the park which surrounds the site.

He added: "If they were planning to demolish it you would think they would email the ward councillor about it."

Another resident, 58-year-old Mrs Smith, said she was also not notified: "I presume they are knocking it down because it is old and was disused, but I didn't know anything about it.

"All I do know is I have had to clean my garden about five times today from the dust."

A spokesperson for Basildon Council said the building had minor damage after it was handed back in 2025, and that demolition plans were established after a spate of "significant vandalism".

They added: "Due to the unsafe nature of the building and prioritising the safety of residents the works were completed urgently.

"A hoarding was initially put in place to prevent access to the site, but following further break-ins the demolition had to start immediately. To reassure residents, the site was secured and Basildon Council’s contractor, Morgan Sindall, will carry out the work in a controlled and carefully managed way."