Khan blocks Harrow School sports hall

HARROW School has been drawn into a row with Sadiq Khan for blocking its plans for a new sports hall on protected green space.

The plans, which include a science block, games area and car park, were initially accepted by Harrow council before being blocked by the Mayor of London.

Mr Khan halted the application because two-thirds of the planned block would be on mostly undeveloped green space known as Metropolitan Open Land (MOP).

Mr Khan said: “I am clear that expansion of this kind must not encroach on open green space, which is one of the capital’s most important and cherished assets. Nor, in this case, is it necessary to do so, as other options are available.”

In a statement, the school said it was “disappointed” by the action as there is a “real need in the area” for the facilities that “were proposed to be shared with the local Harrow community”.

The proposals have also been met by opposition from environmental groups who are concerned that the development would ruin the landscape of the area.

Open Spaces Society (OPS) and the Harrow Hill Trust are among the groups campaigning to protect the public paths across the grounds.

A spokesman for the OPS said: “The impact of this development would extend far beyond the footprint of the buildings, and would have a detrimental effect on the beauty and openness of the Metropolitan Open Land, which is a rare and vital feature of the historic setting of Harrow-on-the-Hill.”

The Mayor has invited Harrow School to work with his planning team to develop a new application on the footprint of its existing site.