A former Ministry of Defence (MoD) estate in South West London will be turned into a private school.
Richmond Council has approved plans to expand Radnor House School by moving it to Kneller Hall, in the Whitton area of Twickenham, which was home to the Royal Military School of Music for almost 170 years.
The 30-acre site has been empty since the MoD sold it to Dukes Education in 2021, which put forward plans in 2022 to convert Kneller Hall, a former guard room and band practice hall into Kneller Hall School. Modern buildings on the site will be demolished as part of the scheme, while a new sports centre with a swimming pool, outdoor sports pitches, a sports pavilion, music centre and forest school will be built.
Pupils in years 7 to 13 at the oversubscribed Radnor House School will move to Kneller Hall School when it opens in September 2027. Extra forms will be added to the school each year so that it eventually expands from an initial capacity of 520 pupils to 1,000 students.
Local schools and groups will be allowed to use the outdoor sports facilities and forest school, mainly in the evenings, at weekends and during school holidays. Radnor House School will become a junior school for up to 300 students.
Residents expressed divided opinions over the plans in letters to the council. Objectors said they wanted the grounds to be turned into a public park, while others raised concerns the increase in traffic would cause “chaos”.
CPRE London, a countryside charity, wrote: “The public was promised a major new public park and it is entirely wrong that the space should be taken for the benefit of a very few people who will attend the private school, in particular because this is an area of deficiency.”
Another objector added: “The roads are already too easily congested and additional vehicles will only make this worse for those using buses and cars while adding to the danger for those cycling.”
A masterplan supplementary planning document (SPD) adopted by the council in April 2020, to guide development on the site, outlined a vision for Kneller Hall which included a “major new public park offering a wide variety of activities ranging from more formal sports, recreation and leisure facilities to informal play areas and wildlife habitats”. It said the site could also be used for affordable housing.
But the council’s Planning Committee approved the plans on Wednesday (May 21), after agreeing using the site for educational purposes was suitable.
Lib Dem councillor Julia Neden-Watts said that although she sensed “sadness that we’re not getting a wonderful housing development here… the education use” was appropriate. She said the SPD outlined options for the site at a time when officers did not necessarily expect it would be used for education again.
Councillor Neden-Watts said: “We have to look at the application that’s in front of us and it’s an appropriate use. I think it’s a benefit that a very striking and important building with an enormous amount of heritage, physical and musical, is being brought back into a use that will see it populated with people – young people – learning.”
Daniel Burkin, Principal Transport Consultant at Caneparo Associates, supporting Dukes Education, said assessments had shown the development would “not materially impact highway safety or traffic”. He said the school would have buses and high-quality cycle parking to slash car use. Most students are expected to travel to and from the school by walking, cycling or using public transport.
A report by council officers ruled the scheme will improve a “vacant underused site”, resulting in a “positive legacy for both Whitton and the wider borough”. It added it will “increase educational choice for parents” – including the addition of 44 places for children with special educational needs.
Welcoming the committee’s decision to approve the scheme, Amy Cavilla, Principal of Radnor House School, said: “Kneller Hall will provide students with a modern education in a historic setting and will put air under the wings of the successful foundations that have been laid at Radnor House School.
“We promote a values-based approach that puts kindness and compassion high on the agenda and use encouragement rather than pressure to achieve success. Our priority now is to proceed with our plans as efficiently as possible so that we are ready to move into our new home in Kneller Hall in September 2027.”
Ms Cavilla will be the new Principal of Kneller Hall School.
Aatif Hassan, founder and Chairman of Dukes Education, added: “We are incredibly excited that the work on Kneller Hall can begin in earnest now. It is a privilege to be able to develop this historic building – such a well-loved landmark in the Whitton and Twickenham area – and to build on its educational heritage, first as a training school for teachers and then as the Royal Military School of Music.
“The school and its grounds will be great for families in the local area, and we look forward to creating deeper links with the community. I would like to thank our parents, students, staff and the local community for their patience during the planning process.”
Works to transform the site are due to start in autumn.
Stay informed about the latest West London news. Sign up for our MyWestLondon newsletter HERE to receive daily updates and more.
