Resident’s ‘last minute rescue’ for former Yorke Road School

5:20pm Friday 29th March 2013 in News

By Ben Endley, Senior reporter

Paul O’Reilly

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A Victorian primary school building that narrowly escaped being completely demolished in 2011 could be lovingly brought back to life as four homes.

Diggers rolled in to level the former Yorke Road School site in June 2011 after owners Leukaemia Research failed to secure planning permission on an appeal to build five homes on the site.

Only a last minute intervention by Three Rivers District Council prevented total demolition but before work could be halted, one fifth of the locally listed building had already been torn down.

Since then the prominent site has fallen into further disrepair and has been targeted by vandals and graffiti artists before it was sold by Leukaemia Research to developer Paul O’Reilly.

Mr O’Reilly, of Church Lane, Sarratt, has submitted a planning application that would maintain many of the original features and would rebuild some areas to their former glory.

The application for two three-bed homes and two four-bed homes has already encountered a positive response from residents.

At the time of publication the 36 comments residents have made on his application, the vast majority of which, if not all, are overwhelmingly in support of the plan.

In addition, a statement on the Croxley Green Residents’ Association website said: “Everyone who has been involved in trying to save Yorke Road School over the years, will have been delighted to know that Paul O’Reilly has purchased the school and intends to restore this well loved Victorian School building.

“It would be a wonderful legacy for future residents of Croxley Green if this last minute rescue of the well loved school building goes ahead.”

Mr O’Reilly, 50, said: “I have had probably 100 people stop me and wish me well.

“When they were attempting to demolish this it was the local council and the residents that stepped in and stopped it, this is a part of Croxley that would have gone forever.

“People are telling me stories of when they used to come here, it really is a part of Croxley that has to be salvaged and I am trying to keep it for future generations.”

Work has already started to clear away years of rubbish and make the site secure, but with almost two months until the council’s planning committee decides whether to allow him to start the redevelopment, the problems are already mounting up.

“This is probably the biggest challenge of my life,” said Mr O’Reilly, a carpenter for 35 years whose previous projects include the barn at Goldingtons Farm in Sarratt.

“We have had so many difficult challenges because the building was left in such a dreadful state.

“The main problem with restoring locally listed buildings like this is with cost.

“The other problem with working on old buildings is you are always uncovering things that were unforeseen.

“There will be different problems too, there is the damp and the general condition is so poor.

“I can see the end but I know the costs involved to get there, working on listed buildings is what I do.

“It is still in the balance but the council has been extremely helpful, this is something they want done and we are prepared to do it.”

The application will be determined by Three Rivers District Council’s Planning Committee on May 15 at 7.30pm.

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