Work to demolish the Hartley Centre is set to begin next week.

The former community centre, in Barking Road, East Ham, has been closed since October 2015 when community development scheme the Renewal Programme ended its eight year lease of the building.

When the keys were handed back, Newham Council found that it was not in a good enough condition to lease out again, and it was not deemed viable for the necessary repairs to be made.

An independent survey found that it would have cost £175,000 to make it fit for similar use for just one year.

Since the closure, it has cost the council thousands of pounds in security and dealing with squatters who occupied the site.

In May, it was deemed that the safest and most economical approach to the building’s future was to demolish it.

Newham Council is in the process of developing proposals for the site which meet the needs of those living in the area.