AN old school could be demolished after urban guardians failed to win Listed status for the building.
But Gloucester Civic Trust said the battle to save the former Hatherley Road Secondary School in Tredworth, Gloucester will continue.
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THREAT: The site.
Gloucestershire County Council, which wants to build 13 houses on the 111-year-old school site, closed down the day centre there last year due to falling numbers. It said it must get best value from the site, which means demolition, but the Civic Trust argued the building has historical merit and could be redeveloped more sympathetically.
“It’s not in a Conservation Area, it’s not a Listed building but it’s a very nice building in an area where are not many,” said trust spokesman Hugh Worsnip. “The city council conservation architect recognises this. Unfortunately we have not been successful in getting the building listed, so it’s up to the city council to decide whether to allow planning permission for the scheme.”
The county council said the building is unremarkable and its architect, Alfred J Dunn, little known. The trust disagrees – it pointed out Pevsner’s “Buildings of England” recognises Dunn’s work and says of the Victorian and Edwardian schools in Gloucester “the best are Tredworth, and the Queen Anne Hatherley Road by AJ Dunn”.
Most nearby residents who objected fear losing parking spaces to the new development, but the county council says parking will be on site.
The civic trust was told on Friday that English Heritage rejected its bid for Listed status, which would have significantly increased its chances of survival.
County council transitional programme director Andrew McCartney, said: “When a site becomes surplus to our requirements we carefully consider the options for its future use. Inevitably the county council is keen to get best value for taxpayers when disposing of surplus property.”