Final call for burnt out bingo hall as demolition begins

A former bingo hall destroyed by fire earlier in the week is being pulled down in an emergency demolition that began this morning.

The Astoria, facing Hyde Bus Station, is in a perilous state after a blaze tore through the 111-year-old building on the evening of Monday February 24. 

The bus station and neighbouring taxi rank will remain closed for the duration of work, as will the footbridge closest to the Astoria and the inside westbound lane of the M67, which runs below the site. 

A statement from Tameside Council said: “Following the fire at the former Astoria Bingo Hall on Monday evening (24 February), Tameside Building Control has declared the remains of the building as dangerous and requiring urgent demolition under Section 78 of the Building Act 1984.” 

The Astoria opened in 1914 as a cinema, the Star Picture House, which was renamed to the Scala in the 1920s. 

It became the Astoria in the 1950s before its conversion to a bingo hall in the ‘60s, eventually closing its doors in February 2009. 

The fire has prompted a rush of nostalgia on social media for the Astoria, although there have also been calls for property owners to repurpose their empty buildings. 

Local resident Louise Band said on Facebook: “Whilst this is the correct decision due to the state of the building, more should have been done to force the owners to develop it one way or another other over the years they’ve owned it.  

“When buildings are allowed to be purchased and left to rot, it’s inevitable that these things happen as they become too expensive to renovate.” 

Fire engines from Hyde, Stalybridge, Ashton and Gorton all attended the scene at around 8:25pm on Monday night, with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service still investigating the cause of the inferno.

The demolition, including the cost of fencing, security, traffic management and staffing will cost Tameside Council £40,000, although it will be recovered in full as a Land Charge levied on the Astoria’s owners.