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Parents in 24-hour protest to stop school demolition
Tim Ross23 Apr 2009
Parents took to the roof of their children's Grade II-listed primary school today to protest against plans to knock it down.
The 350-pupil Lewisham Bridge school is set to be replaced with one for 835 children aged from three to 16. Lewisham council says the scheme will provide urgently needed secondary school places but parents fear that toddlers will be intimidated by teenagers having lessons on the same site.
Children were driven in buses from the school in Elmira Street today to continue lessons 1.5 miles away as the council prepared to begin demolition work.
Five parents plan to stay all night on the roof of the school's Edwardian building in protest. Eleanor Davies, 40, whose six-year-old son Oliver attends the school, said: “It's a really good school and my son is very happy. My concern is for my children's safety and happiness but also for the secondary school children because there isn't the space. Everybody is a loser.”
But Mayor of Lewisham Sir Steve Bullock said the school site was“uniquely suited” to cater for secondary pupils.
Reader views (2)
One of these so-called State-of-the-art-schools is being built on prime agricultural land very close to where I live. My husband and I and a lot of people in the near vacinity have being objecting for at least 12 months, but we do not stand a chance of winning. This proposal has been bulldozed through by Bradford Council. Once the Council have made up ther minds to allocate certain areas for certain projects the general public do not stand a chance. I attended various meetings along with other people who objected, but our comments and concerns about the age category, traffic conjestion on very narrow roads and lanes and other concerns have been completely ignored. Why do we waste our time when once the Council have made up their minds. Let's face it we are all just a number in this uncaring society we all have to live in now-a-days.
- Denise Dean, Bradford, West Yorkshire, 24/04/2009 12:52
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If the Council "is preparing demolition work" then it will be commiting a criminal offence with a penalty of up to two years in prison - maybe Sir Bullock also considers that he is "uniquely suited" to spending time behind bars.
This school is a Grade II listed building therefore cannot be demolished unless consent is granted. Given that it was only listed last week, for very good reason as it is a fine architectural landmark, the only way it could be demolished is for Lewisham Council to get up to dirty tricks to push through its monstrous idea for a white elephant of a school for children aged 3 to 16 which will be a bully's charter and a sink school within a few years.
Lewisham need to think again, preserve OUR heritage, retain this lovely primary school and build a secondary school somewhere else. If they don't the present Labour administration can kiss their power goodbye at the next election.
- Thomas, London, 23/04/2009 23:26
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