A private school’s plans for major redevelopment could bring “oversized, ill-conceived buildings” and thousands of construction vehicles to a historic town centre.
Highgate School, in North Road, has submitted six planning applications to Haringey Council that opponents say would effectively double the size of some of its current sites.
As well as expansion of Dyne House in Southwood Lane and the science block opposite, the school also wants to develop two sites on its Bishopswood Road campus.
Two further applications include temporary classrooms on playing fields and a scheme to permanently cover its Far-Field Playing Field in Courtenay Avenue, which is within the Metropolitan Green Belt with synthetic turf.
With many of the school’s buildings in residential streets within the Highgate Village conservation area, neighbours fear significant construction traffic and noise.
Delva Patman, chair of Southwood Lane Residents Association, said the plans would "destroy the fabric of the village" with "oversized, ill-conceived buildings” overshadowing Highgate’s “beautiful” listed architecture, gardens and green space.
She predicted thousands of lorries thundering through the narrow, historic streets, with business hit as customers were driven away by road closures and parking restrictions.
Neighbours have also questioned the need for the redevelopment when the school, which charges £25,515 a year, already has "impressive” facilities for its 1,500 pupils.
“The school and village have always co-existed on a reasonably peaceful keel but development on this scale would totally shipwreck relations with the locals," said former Highgate councillor Liz Morris, who lives in Southwood Lane.
“Ironically, the bible for independent schools, The Good Schools’ Guide, also says that ‘Few London schools can boast the wealth of space and facilities offered at Highgate School’, so this does rather beg the question – why on earth do they need to double the size of what they already have?"
She said plans show construction lorries would be routed along North Hill, North Road, Castle Yard, Southwood Lane, Southwood Avenue and the top of Jacksons Lane and Southwood Lawn Road - with more than 3,000 vehicle movements estimated, one every 20 to 30 minutes throughout the day.
She added: “It is a disgrace that Highgate School are even trying to push through these plans. The impact on the local community and historic surroundings of such development would be long-lasting and devastating."
Opponents are calling on the council to appoint an independent expert to fully scrutinise the school’s space demands. Haringey Council’s planning website says public consultation ended on April 21, with a decision expected by May 31.
Highgate School was founded in 1565 and its alumni include the late Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman, who famously campaigned for the preservation of historic buildings.
A school spokesperson said: “As a school, we are proud to be part of this community, and consulting with them on our estates strategy has been a key priority since we began initial conversations back in 2015. Since that time, there has been extensive consultation to incorporate feedback and invaluable community input into the proposals.
“In 2020, we welcomed Haringey Council’s development of the Highgate School Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and we were very happy to take part in its own extensive local consultation. The SPD was adopted by the council in March 2021 and gives the community further reassurances about how our estate plans will be carefully managed. In October 2022, we shared the latest proposals with neighbours for each of our projects, before submitting planning applications.
“The strategic proposals in the SPD are to accommodate existing pupil numbers, which will remain within the school’s currently licenced capacity of 1,970. The school’s estate management programme is not one of growth.
“The focus of our strategy is on creating modern buildings, replacing ageing facilities which have not been renovated for some time and which have issues including limited accessibility and energy inefficiency.
“We are enormously grateful for those neighbours who have taken the time to help shape these plans, and we will continue to liaise with them to ensure minimum disruption during the works.”
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