Campaign welcomes progress on Saving Avery Hill
Plans for a 1,150 Harris Academy for Boys were given the conditional support of the Save Avery Hill campaign when they were approved by Royal Greenwich Council on Tuesday 6 October.
Speaking for the campaign, convenor Terry Powley said: "Our main concerns with the original plans were around design, transport and community use. During six intensive meetings with Harris, we have narrowed our differences substantially. Given the provisions in the legal agreement and the conditions approved by the Planning Board, we can give the plans our support.”
Funds liberated from the go-ahead will allow for the restoration and development of the Winter Garden.
He said the campaign's suggested improvements on design had been acted on and the proposed entrance through the wall to Bexley Road had been dropped. The Planning Board had accepted that more work was needed on the school's travel plan to mitigate the impact on neighbouring residential areas. The plans were now a positive response to the campaign’s drive to maximise the dual use by the community of the Mansion site, to which the public would be guaranteed access for the first time, and to connect it with the Winter Garden.
John Webb, chair of Friends of Avery Hill Park, said that the plans offered a potential 'win-win' for the community and that the group looked forward to working with Harris and the council to develop a viable business plan for the Winter Garden.
Eltham South Councillor Nigel Fletcher emphasised that a workable travel plan should be a strict condition of the development in order to reduce the impact on traffic in Bexley Road and the surrounding neighbourhood. He and fellow Eltham South Councillor Pat Greenwell asked for this plan to be discussed in detail with councillors and local residents.
Plans for a 1,150 Harris Academy for Boys were given the conditional support of the Save Avery Hill campaign when they were approved by Royal Greenwich Council on Tuesday 6 October.
Speaking for the campaign, convenor Terry Powley said: "Our main concerns with the original plans were around design, transport and community use. During six intensive meetings with Harris, we have narrowed our differences substantially. Given the provisions in the legal agreement and the conditions approved by the Planning Board, we can give the plans our support.”
Funds liberated from the go-ahead will allow for the restoration and development of the Winter Garden.
He said the campaign's suggested improvements on design had been acted on and the proposed entrance through the wall to Bexley Road had been dropped. The Planning Board had accepted that more work was needed on the school's travel plan to mitigate the impact on neighbouring residential areas. The plans were now a positive response to the campaign’s drive to maximise the dual use by the community of the Mansion site, to which the public would be guaranteed access for the first time, and to connect it with the Winter Garden.
John Webb, chair of Friends of Avery Hill Park, said that the plans offered a potential 'win-win' for the community and that the group looked forward to working with Harris and the council to develop a viable business plan for the Winter Garden.
Eltham South Councillor Nigel Fletcher emphasised that a workable travel plan should be a strict condition of the development in order to reduce the impact on traffic in Bexley Road and the surrounding neighbourhood. He and fellow Eltham South Councillor Pat Greenwell asked for this plan to be discussed in detail with councillors and local residents.
Councillor Fletcher added that the long process of engagement with Harris had improved the original proposals, particularly the view of the new building from the park, and welcomed the community use agreement negotiated as part of the scheme. He stressed to the committee that it was now crucial for the school to work with the Council to ensure a viable future for the Winter Garden by ensuring it and the listed Mansion House remain integrated, both physically and in the business plan for the site.
Mark Jenkinson, from the campaign, speaking on sustainability said: "We welcome Harris’ commitment to raise their sustainability ambitions and look forward to a school which all the community can be proud of, just like the Harris Academy in Sutton, which was built to Passivhaus standard.
It is estimated that over two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions in the Royal Borough of Greenwich come from buildings – it is therefore key all new buildings meet the highest standards if the borough is to be carbon neutral by 2030 and if we are to leave a better planet for our children.”
A recording of the Planning Board meeting can be found here. Terry Powley's speech, made on behalf of the campaign, is attached below.
Mark Jenkinson, from the campaign, speaking on sustainability said: "We welcome Harris’ commitment to raise their sustainability ambitions and look forward to a school which all the community can be proud of, just like the Harris Academy in Sutton, which was built to Passivhaus standard.
It is estimated that over two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions in the Royal Borough of Greenwich come from buildings – it is therefore key all new buildings meet the highest standards if the borough is to be carbon neutral by 2030 and if we are to leave a better planet for our children.”
A recording of the Planning Board meeting can be found here. Terry Powley's speech, made on behalf of the campaign, is attached below.
| sah_address_to_planning_board_6_october_2020-10-06.pdf |
Planning Board on Tuesday, 6 October 2020 at 6:30pm
The agenda for the next Planning Board meeting on Tuesday 6 October 2020 at 6:30PM has now been issued and will consider the Avery Hill Academy application.
The meeting is open to the public and is being streamed live on the Council’s YouTube Channel starting at 6:30PM.
The agenda for the next Planning Board meeting on Tuesday 6 October 2020 at 6:30PM has now been issued and will consider the Avery Hill Academy application.
The meeting is open to the public and is being streamed live on the Council’s YouTube Channel starting at 6:30PM.
Supplementary comment from the SAH Campaign to the Harris Academy planning application
In response to the re-consultation for an amended description, revised plans and supplementary documents issued on 9th September, the Save Avery Hill Campaign submitted the attached supplementary comment on 22nd September.
In short, the Campaign welcomes the consultations which it has had with the Harris project team since our initial meeting last July, and a series of six meetings between May and September this year. A number of significant changes have been made to the application, including improvements to each elevation and the appearance of the Sports Hall. The latest have been the proposal to use East Lodge as the student entrance, instead of breaking through the wall at Bexley Road, and an extended use of ‘heritage’-grade railings.
With these above-mentioned amendments, the Campaign is content to give the application its support, subject to the points raised in the attached document around the following areas:
In response to the re-consultation for an amended description, revised plans and supplementary documents issued on 9th September, the Save Avery Hill Campaign submitted the attached supplementary comment on 22nd September.
In short, the Campaign welcomes the consultations which it has had with the Harris project team since our initial meeting last July, and a series of six meetings between May and September this year. A number of significant changes have been made to the application, including improvements to each elevation and the appearance of the Sports Hall. The latest have been the proposal to use East Lodge as the student entrance, instead of breaking through the wall at Bexley Road, and an extended use of ‘heritage’-grade railings.
With these above-mentioned amendments, the Campaign is content to give the application its support, subject to the points raised in the attached document around the following areas:
- Ensure community use and involvement
- Ensure the quality of flooring treatment for the school hall/ballroom
- Ensure the linkage points between the Winter Garden and heritage assets are maintained
- Increase the sustainability ambitions for the new development taking lessons from the Harris Academy Sutton built to Passivhaus standards
- Improve pedestrian access at the West Lodge
- Address potential issues from on-street parking and additional congestion
- Implement a formal agreement to post-planning consultation and liaison between the campaign and developers
| sah_application_response_supplementary_22_sept.pdf |
Campaign virtual public meeting on Monday 20th July from 7:30pm
Join us on Monday from 7:30pm to 9:00pm via Zoom to hear the latest on the Save Avery Hill campaign and add your views.
If you'd like to join the meeting click here. If you aren't able to join, please send your comments ahead of the meeting to averyhillpark@hotmail.co.uk
Also don't forget to respond to the Harris Academy planning application on the RBG website by Wednesday 29th July.
Join us on Monday from 7:30pm to 9:00pm via Zoom to hear the latest on the Save Avery Hill campaign and add your views.
If you'd like to join the meeting click here. If you aren't able to join, please send your comments ahead of the meeting to averyhillpark@hotmail.co.uk
Also don't forget to respond to the Harris Academy planning application on the RBG website by Wednesday 29th July.
Harris Academy Avery Hill plans - make your views known by 29th July
Comments on the application need to be made on the Royal Borough of Greenwich website by 29th July - click here to access the website where you can find the planning application documents and make your comments.
The Save Avery Hill Campaign has published its initial reaction to the Harris Academy planning application - see attached slides. In response to the campaign, there have been welcome improvements including to the design of the proposed building viewed from the park. We still have a number of concerns around the areas of Design, Transport and Community Use as well as the sustainability ambitions for the site.
Comments on the application need to be made on the Royal Borough of Greenwich website by 29th July - click here to access the website where you can find the planning application documents and make your comments.
The Save Avery Hill Campaign has published its initial reaction to the Harris Academy planning application - see attached slides. In response to the campaign, there have been welcome improvements including to the design of the proposed building viewed from the park. We still have a number of concerns around the areas of Design, Transport and Community Use as well as the sustainability ambitions for the site.
| 2020-07-09_sah_initial_repsonse_to_planning_application.pdf |
Harris Academy Avery Hill plans submitted
The Harris Academy Avery Hill project team, with the Department for Education, submitted their planning application on 29th May 2020. We will let you know as soon as the application is available for us all to scrutinise and comment upon.
Leading up to the submission, the Save Avery Hill campaign has been extremely active in engaging with the Harris project team and expressing our key concerns:
Leading up to Harris' own Live Q&A sessions, the campaign held its own public sessions on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th May. These sessions were virtual due to the distancing guidelines but nevertheless the strength of feeling and opposition to the current plans was clear.
In parallel, the new petition 'Save Avery Hill for the Community' is fast approaching 4,000 signatures. If you, friends or family haven't signed yet, please do.
The Harris Academy Avery Hill project team, with the Department for Education, submitted their planning application on 29th May 2020. We will let you know as soon as the application is available for us all to scrutinise and comment upon.
Leading up to the submission, the Save Avery Hill campaign has been extremely active in engaging with the Harris project team and expressing our key concerns:
- The proposed design is nondescript and would spoil the view from the park;
- Transport and access could be a nightmare;
- The school and the heritage attraction of a renovated Winter Garden must work in harmony.
Leading up to Harris' own Live Q&A sessions, the campaign held its own public sessions on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th May. These sessions were virtual due to the distancing guidelines but nevertheless the strength of feeling and opposition to the current plans was clear.
In parallel, the new petition 'Save Avery Hill for the Community' is fast approaching 4,000 signatures. If you, friends or family haven't signed yet, please do.
Save Avery Hill for the Community:
Sign the New Petition and join the Community Zoom meetings
Sign the New Petition and join the Community Zoom meetings
This could be the new view from Avery Hill Park if initial proposals for the 1,150 Harris Academy Avery Hill go ahead unchallenged. The Save the Avery Hill campaign opposes crucial elements of the proposals, namely:
What can you do to help Save Avery Hill for the Community?
- The proposed design is nondescript and would spoil the view from the park;
- Transport and access could be a nightmare;
- The school and the heritage attraction of a renovated Winter Garden must work in harmony.
What can you do to help Save Avery Hill for the Community?
- Join our ‘Zoom’ virtual public meetings next week (Monday 11th at 2.30pm and Tuesday 12th at 7.30pm). We are limited to 100 people per session so email averyhillpark@hotmail.co.uk ASAP to reserve your place.
- Check out the Harris Academy plans on their website and respond to the consultation. They are holding on-line events on Thursday 14 and 16 May.
- Sign our new petition and add your comments.
- Be ready to comment on the planning application, expected in June.
- Make a donation to the campaign to help us reach more people.
- Watch our new campaign video.
The School Plans Need Complete Re-think:
‘Nondescript Buildings and School-run Chaos’
The Save Avery Hill campaign is expressing its deep concerns and reservations over outline plans for a 1,150 Harris Academy boys school and mixed 6th form on the heritage site.
The campaign believes the development must:
- ensure the new design is in harmony with its surroundings;
- protect public access to Avery Hill Park;
- ensure it doesn’t create traffic school-run traffic chaos;
- ensure extra car parking causes minimal further disruption to residents;
- enable complete renovation of the Winter Garden into a sustainable asset;
- fully link the Winter Garden and listed Mansion to re-create the Victorian legacy;
- ensure joint management of historical assets between the school and community;
- ensure the plans observe conservation area standards
Convenor Terry Powley said:
“There are serious concerns about traffic chaos at school-run time; non-descript buildings and railings and conflicts with Crown Woods, as well as parking and traffic problems spilling out and disrupting residents in neighbouring streets. The public has a right to enjoy its heritage and not see it disappear behind ‘keep out’ signs. The community needs guaranteed access to the Mansion as well as the Winter Garden. I’m asking the community to come together to help safeguard this jewel in SE9’s crown.
We are dismayed that this consultation is being conducted at a time of national crisis when our minds are all preoccupied elsewhere and there is a risk of this development slipping through under the cover of coronavirus. We would ask for as many people as possible to make their views known in the on-line consultation to help save our local heritage.”
Chair of the Friends group, John Webb added:
"The new building would be a terrible imposition alongside our beloved Winter Garden and park. The traffic would be gridlocked at school-run times as park users get mixed up with parents picking up children and 1,150 pupils cross in front of them. It could mean drivers taking anything up to 30 minutes to get out to Bexley Road from the car park. Harris need to go back to the drawing board."
Keep up-to-date on the consultation and the campaign’s response on this website, the Friends' Twitter feed and the SEnine Facebook page - please also sign the petition and spread the word by sharing with your friends and neighbours.
We would also welcome your support for our crowdfunding campaign to get the word out and protect this precious community asset.
See the detailed Key Aims, Demands and detailed concerns attached below.
‘Nondescript Buildings and School-run Chaos’
The Save Avery Hill campaign is expressing its deep concerns and reservations over outline plans for a 1,150 Harris Academy boys school and mixed 6th form on the heritage site.
The campaign believes the development must:
- ensure the new design is in harmony with its surroundings;
- protect public access to Avery Hill Park;
- ensure it doesn’t create traffic school-run traffic chaos;
- ensure extra car parking causes minimal further disruption to residents;
- enable complete renovation of the Winter Garden into a sustainable asset;
- fully link the Winter Garden and listed Mansion to re-create the Victorian legacy;
- ensure joint management of historical assets between the school and community;
- ensure the plans observe conservation area standards
Convenor Terry Powley said:
“There are serious concerns about traffic chaos at school-run time; non-descript buildings and railings and conflicts with Crown Woods, as well as parking and traffic problems spilling out and disrupting residents in neighbouring streets. The public has a right to enjoy its heritage and not see it disappear behind ‘keep out’ signs. The community needs guaranteed access to the Mansion as well as the Winter Garden. I’m asking the community to come together to help safeguard this jewel in SE9’s crown.
We are dismayed that this consultation is being conducted at a time of national crisis when our minds are all preoccupied elsewhere and there is a risk of this development slipping through under the cover of coronavirus. We would ask for as many people as possible to make their views known in the on-line consultation to help save our local heritage.”
Chair of the Friends group, John Webb added:
"The new building would be a terrible imposition alongside our beloved Winter Garden and park. The traffic would be gridlocked at school-run times as park users get mixed up with parents picking up children and 1,150 pupils cross in front of them. It could mean drivers taking anything up to 30 minutes to get out to Bexley Road from the car park. Harris need to go back to the drawing board."
Keep up-to-date on the consultation and the campaign’s response on this website, the Friends' Twitter feed and the SEnine Facebook page - please also sign the petition and spread the word by sharing with your friends and neighbours.
We would also welcome your support for our crowdfunding campaign to get the word out and protect this precious community asset.
See the detailed Key Aims, Demands and detailed concerns attached below.
| sah_aims_key_demands_and_detailed_concerns_website.pdf |
Campaign seeks viable long-term future for Winter Garden:
urges Greenwich Council to use independent heritage experts to advise
urges Greenwich Council to use independent heritage experts to advise
The Save Avery Hill Campaign is urging Greenwich Council to use experts to find a sustainable future for the Winter Gardens, Mansion and other listed buildings.
Last year, the Save Avery Hill Campaign - formed in 2014 - submitted their full response to Greenwich Council's formal public consultation on the future of Avery Hill Winter Gardens and Mansion (see below: Summary of public meeting - Monday 21 October). There was widespread concern amongst the 100 or so attendees at plans to build a 1,100 student Harris Academy opposite the existing Crown Woods Academy, given the site's historic, architectural and community heritage value.
Campaign demonstrations in Avery Hill Park in 2017 and 2018, a well-attended public meeting held in October 2019 and two petitions of over 4,000 signatures further confirmed that Eltham residents are keen to safeguard the Winter Garden and Mansion as a community and cultural asset for future generations.
Two heritage lottery bids for the site had previously been fully drafted then dropped by current owners, the University of Greenwich - who opted to sell the site instead. Historic England describes Winter Garden's current condition as poor...slow decay; no solution agreed.
'The University has agreed with the council to hand over a substantial amount of money from the sale price to pay for a full restoration of the Winter Garden. But the campaign is concerned over its ongoing viability, how it can be run to achieve maximum utility for the community and its reunification with the listed Mansion.
Greenwich Council's involvement in Avery Hill's future is now essential in finding a practical use for the site in keeping with its architectural and cultural significance. A conservation status application was filed in January 2020, which will offer the site some protection as a heritage asset.
We are optimistic that a sustainable and responsible use can be found for Avery Hill Mansion and Winter Garden site despite continued uncertainty and slow damage to trees, plants and buildings.
Read more about the Avery Hill Conservation Status application.
Campaign demonstrations in Avery Hill Park in 2017 and 2018, a well-attended public meeting held in October 2019 and two petitions of over 4,000 signatures further confirmed that Eltham residents are keen to safeguard the Winter Garden and Mansion as a community and cultural asset for future generations.
Two heritage lottery bids for the site had previously been fully drafted then dropped by current owners, the University of Greenwich - who opted to sell the site instead. Historic England describes Winter Garden's current condition as poor...slow decay; no solution agreed.
'The University has agreed with the council to hand over a substantial amount of money from the sale price to pay for a full restoration of the Winter Garden. But the campaign is concerned over its ongoing viability, how it can be run to achieve maximum utility for the community and its reunification with the listed Mansion.
Greenwich Council's involvement in Avery Hill's future is now essential in finding a practical use for the site in keeping with its architectural and cultural significance. A conservation status application was filed in January 2020, which will offer the site some protection as a heritage asset.
We are optimistic that a sustainable and responsible use can be found for Avery Hill Mansion and Winter Garden site despite continued uncertainty and slow damage to trees, plants and buildings.
Read more about the Avery Hill Conservation Status application.
Inside Avery Hill mansion and winter gardens - a gem of Victorian heritage worth fighting to keep public...
In January and February this year, Eltham residents were given a glimpse of Victorian magnate John North's “amazingly sumptuous” legacy before it is sold off, facing an uncertain future.
Stepping around antiques from a once opulent drawing room - now a bare senior common room - Will Robley, Greenwich University's archivist, traced the rise and fall of the mansion and winter garden's fortunes – which reflect those of its owner, the Victorian magnate, John Thomas North (1842-96) and his family.
Colonel North - a 'Chilian Monte Cristo'
Known as the “King of Nitrates”, Colonel John Thomas North started out as an apprentice near Leeds. Working as a boiler mechanic in Chile, North exported nitrate fertilisers extracted from bird droppings. Profiting from unstable markets and the Pacific War he established effective monopolies in the nitrate, waterways and freight industries. He amassed a fortune as an entrepreneur, investor and property speculator in Chile and Peru, in Welsh coalmines and later in King Leopold II's Congo Free State's rubber concession. A controversial figure, he was both admired and maligned, as this Vanity Fair caricature suggests. The New York Times, observing his extraordinary rise to wealth, described him as a 'Chilian Monte Cristo.
Returning to England, North purchased Avery Hill and employed the renowned architect Thomas Cutler in 1888 to renovate the mansion as befitted his new status, lavishing millions of pounds in today's money. North commissioned centrally heated stables, kennels for his dogs, Turkish baths, a baronial hall, a statue gallery and marble staircase, and even an underground tunnel leading to a strongroom for his sizeable jewellery collection. He later dismissed and sued Cutler for overspending by some £35,000 but lost the case - then employed Cutler's assistant to finish the job.
Known as the “King of Nitrates”, Colonel John Thomas North started out as an apprentice near Leeds. Working as a boiler mechanic in Chile, North exported nitrate fertilisers extracted from bird droppings. Profiting from unstable markets and the Pacific War he established effective monopolies in the nitrate, waterways and freight industries. He amassed a fortune as an entrepreneur, investor and property speculator in Chile and Peru, in Welsh coalmines and later in King Leopold II's Congo Free State's rubber concession. A controversial figure, he was both admired and maligned, as this Vanity Fair caricature suggests. The New York Times, observing his extraordinary rise to wealth, described him as a 'Chilian Monte Cristo.
Returning to England, North purchased Avery Hill and employed the renowned architect Thomas Cutler in 1888 to renovate the mansion as befitted his new status, lavishing millions of pounds in today's money. North commissioned centrally heated stables, kennels for his dogs, Turkish baths, a baronial hall, a statue gallery and marble staircase, and even an underground tunnel leading to a strongroom for his sizeable jewellery collection. He later dismissed and sued Cutler for overspending by some £35,000 but lost the case - then employed Cutler's assistant to finish the job.
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Sadly, the Turkish baths, marble staircase, the entire East Wing and several gardens were permanently damaged by incendiary bombs in the 1940s, roof leakage and subsequent neglect. The gentlemen's lavatories in marble and Burmantofts faience (glazed terracotta, below) did survive, thanks to London County Council's reluctance to fork out for a refit. See an image of the Turkish baths.
The Winter Garden, "the best survival in London of such Victorian extravaganzas”
Canary date palm - the oldest in the country
The 100 square foot botanical garden and conservatory – the largest in the country outside Kew Gardens - was originally conceived to hide the unsightly 40 foot walls of the ballroom - and took eight years to build. Its main materials are iron and steel. The fernery, original peach house and vine houses no longer exist. But In true Victorian style, the botanic gardens contained a wealth of are and exotic plants and trees collected from overseas, some of which survive today.
Nikolaus Pevsner, architectural historian, describes the winter garden as "amazingly sumptuous" and "flanked by fernery and conservatory, the best survival in London of such Victorian extravaganzas".
Nikolaus Pevsner, architectural historian, describes the winter garden as "amazingly sumptuous" and "flanked by fernery and conservatory, the best survival in London of such Victorian extravaganzas".
The mansion becomes the first secular ladies' teacher training college in the country
At the Colonel's sudden death in 1896 at age 54, the house was immediately put on the market but failed to sell. It was owned by a psychiatrist for a short while, before being purchased by London County Council together with the park. In 1906, Avery Hill College of Education became the very first non-denominational ladies' teacher training college in the country, with 90 trainees. The first headmistress lasted barely three months!
At the Colonel's sudden death in 1896 at age 54, the house was immediately put on the market but failed to sell. It was owned by a psychiatrist for a short while, before being purchased by London County Council together with the park. In 1906, Avery Hill College of Education became the very first non-denominational ladies' teacher training college in the country, with 90 trainees. The first headmistress lasted barely three months!
Help us to save and restore Avery Hill mansion and winter gardens
- sign the petition and receive updates on how to support the campaign in the coming months
- join the Friends of Avery Hill Park to safeguard Avery Hill park, winter garden, its listed buildings and wildlife
- follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Summary of public meeting - Monday 21 Oct 2019
Over 100 people attended the Save Avery Hill Winter Garden (SAHWG) public meeting on Monday 21 October, expressing the depth of their interest in, and concern for, the future of the Winter Garden and the wider Mansion site. Below is a summary of the main points made at that meeting under the three headings we used in our response to the Council's consultation exercise.
1) Saving the Winter Garden
The meeting welcomed the considerable progress made since the last public meeting held in July 2017. The Council is well advanced in its negotiations to take back ownership of the Winter Garden, and you have been eminently successful in persuading the University of Greenwich to make a significant financial contribution to support its restoration and development. The meeting received positively the news that the Council is committed to working with local residents and community groups, as well as experts, in bringing the heritage assets back into sustainable use and in developing a plan of action to maximise their potential. The meeting felt that the success of the Winter Garden in the future would be determined by its impact and utility as a historical, cultural, recreational, educational and events asset. Members of the audience argued for community representation, alongside appropriate experts, on a Winter Garden-specific trust, if that were to be the vehicle for future governance and management.
2) Links with the Historic Mansion Site
The meeting pressed the need for a physical and integrated connection between the Winter Garden and the listed parts of the Mansion site, allowing public access to, and community use of, their proud heritage. This linkage would need to transcend the impending split in ownership between the Winter Garden, on the one hand, and the Mansion site, on the other, with the implications of that split for future planning and management. The meeting recognised the imperative for Save Avery Hill to be involved in the maximum level of pre-application consultation, both with the DfE and the Council, so that the case for the Winter Garden's linkage with the listed features of the Mansion site is presented and addressed at the earliest possible stage.
3) Impact of a school on historic heritage of the Mansion site and integrity of the park
Local residents expressed deep apprehension about the impact of increased traffic, inevitably caused by the location of the new school, on local parking conditions (the problems are currently massive, with one school already located in the immediate vicinity). The meeting raised the potential problem of access to Avery Hill park, given that the main access road from Bexley Road cuts directly through the space to be developed by the school. Those present argued that the design and construction of the school should be in harmony with the historic buildings and the ambience of the site. The meeting articulated its misgivings over frequent or daily usage of quality heritage assets by young students and the inevitable damage to these over time. Save Avery Hill and local residents look forward to working closely with the Council on the way forward.