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Plans to rebuild: Head Jenny Stephen and architect Ian Williams |
Bulldozers wait for Victorian school
‘We must rebuild’ plea as conservationists warn that much-loved building will be lost
AN exclusive private school in the heart of Hampstead has unveiled plans to demolish its Victorian building and rebuild on the site.
South Hampstead High School, in Maresfield Gardens, could begin knocking down the 1880s red-brick building next summer, under multi-million-pound plans announced this week.
But it will face a tough battle to persuade residents living nearby that the plans will not ruin an architecturally-important part of a conservation area.
The school, which charges fees of about £9,000 a year, includes among its former pupils Baroness Rabbi Julia Neuberger, actress Helena Bonham Carter and singer Lynsey de Paul.
The building work is due to start next summer if planning permission is granted and will be carried out in two phases over two years, which, according to headteacher Jenny Stephen, will minimise disruption to students.
Architect Ian Williams has designed the new building to include the latest eco-friendly features, including a “green” roof, a 25 per cent increase in outdoor space, a doubling of indoor space and a new arts and music centre.
The plans include a new sports hall and a self-contained sixth-form wing. Mr Williams said: “The school at the moment would not meet the criteria for a city academy. The buildings simply do not fit the needs for education in the 21st century.”
The school’s governing body considered moving out of the area, but Mrs Stephen said its history prevented them leaving.
She added: “Emotionally, it is difficult to walk away from our roots. We are a Hampstead school.”
Dr Mayer Hillman, a member of Netherhall Neighbourhood Association, met school staff yesterday (Wednesday) to discuss the plans.
He is reserving judgement on the project until a planning application has been lodged with the Town Hall. However, he said the Victorian building was an important asset to the conservation area.
Dr Hillman added: “The new building looks out of scale. In a conservation area, the rules are clear. Applications should not be approved unless they preserve or enhance the area – and the South Hampstead school is a much-loved part of our Victorian heritage.”
Haskoll, the practice in charge of the new design, has never built a school before. Projects it has masterminded include shopping centres in Switzerland, Reading and Bournemouth.
But Mrs Stephen said the firm’s inexperience was a strength. The school’s owners – the Girls Day School Trust – had opted for Haskoll because of its approach to the numerous problems the site presented.
She said: “Because Ian Williams does not have educational experience in design he has not come here with preconceived ideas. He came with a blank sheet and said: ‘Here are the problems – let’s solve them’.”
Mrs Stephen added that renovating the existing building was not an option.
“We looked at modifying the existing building but we have come to the conclusion that the best thing to do is demolish it and start again,” she added. “It is simply not suitable for our needs.” |
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