Go-ahead given for Avonmore Primary’s modernised reincarnation

By Ben Lynch, Local Democracy Reporter

A 1950s school is to be demolished and replaced with a new state-of-the-art educational facility and flats.

Historic Gordon Cottage is also going to be knocked down as part of the redevelopment of Avonmore Primary School and Nursery after Hammersmith and Fulham councillors gave the scheme the green light.

Cabinet members agreed in 2019 that Avonmore would be the first project in the council’s community schools programme. The initiative seeks to use funds from new housing built on school sites to help revitalise some of the borough’s primaries.

The redevelopment will involve the demolition of the existing buildings to deliver a new primary school, nursery and playground. It will include facilities such as larger classrooms and a terrace with a running track, table tennis equipment plus a number of spaces to be available for community use.

A total of 91 flats will also be provided, 45 of which will be ‘affordable’. Of those, 60 per cent are earmarked to be let at social rent levels. The sale of 46 flats at market rate will help fund the project.

Council papers say there were 76 objections, with concerns including the scale of the redevelopment, the impacts on privacy and the demolition of Gordon Cottage.

Gordon Cottage is a 19th century house defined as a ‘Building of Merit’, and so of historical significance. According to an online petition, it survived the Nazi bombing of the capital during the Second World War.

In its submission, Historic England, the Government’s heritage body, wrote that while it does not object in principle ‘heritage assets, including those which are non-designated, are irreplaceable.’

The proposal also received significant support, with 140 letters backing the scheme plus a petition representing 84 properties. The quality of the design and the need to improve the school building were among the potential benefits listed.

But at a planning committee meeting earlier this week, David Tarsh, representing the Avonmore Residents’ Association, claimed the council had not conformed with its own consultation guidelines, with no residents’ panel or proper resident involvement.

He said the postcodes of many of those supporting the scheme were from outside the borough, and that three petitions run in opposition had garnered more responses than the council claimed to have in its favour.

Richard Farthing, chairman of the Hammersmith Society, meanwhile queried the decision to include private homes on school land. He said: “You’re taking away public land for what appears to be at least 50 per cent private gain, and the school isn’t actually that bad overall.”

Councillor David Morton, representing Avonmore ward, said: “It is a project that prioritises short term financial gain at the expense of our community’s welfare, environmental integrity and cultural heritage.”

However, Maya Wittleton, head at Avonmore Primary School, spoke on the benefits the proposed redevelopment would deliver. She said pupils and staff suffer from limitations including regular roof leaks and poor insulation alongside accessibility issues such as uneven steps.

“Our current building is failing all of our pupils,” she said. “But it is failing our most vulnerable pupils the most of all, and it’s only getting harder and harder to maintain the level of education that our pupils deserve. It is beyond repair.”

Officers clarified the capacity of the new school would be retained at 250 pupils. It would however deliver more space per child, plus flexible facilities to be available for community use.

Pictured top: A CGI of the new-look Avonmore Primary (Picture: BPTW/Hammersmith and Fulham council)