Locals rage at ‘obnoxious’ play time din from princes’ school
IT is the exclusive prep school which could soon be entrusted with helping to mould Prince George into a future king.
But to its neighbours, Wetherby School is the source of an ‘ obnoxious cacophony’ of screaming children while its new blue playground is an eyesore.
Princes William and Harry are among its former pupils and were often photographed being dropped off by their mother Princess Diana at the school’s red door.
Now the £6,865-a-term school in Notting Hill has been tipped to welcome George, three, when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge move back to London.
However, the royal links appear to mean little to residents nearby.
Some have lodged objections to the playground’s blue cushioned surface which they claim has pushed up noise levels as more youngsters use it.
It was installed without planning consent last August and the school is applying for retrospective permission from Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council.
In a joint letter, Anthony Doherty, Mariza Wellesley-Wesley and John and Gabriela Travis complained of ‘ increasingly intolerable, nuisance levels of noise resulting from growing numbers of screaming children hurling and bouncing balls and playing other games’.
They also pointed to ‘whistle- blowing and shouting instructors’ and the ‘screams and interactions’ of ‘ netball, basketball, and other exuberant games’.
According to the residents: ‘ The resulting cacophony is obnoxious, and an extreme and persistent nuisance. Even with the windows closed, the din is inescapable.’
They claim the noise has left their once tranquil gardens uninhabitable for four hours every school day.
The school is set in one of London’s most exclusive enclaves, where a three- bedroom flat costs more than £5million. Its play area is shared with nextdoor Pembridge Hall School for girls, both run by the Alpha Plus chain of independent schools.
The company replaced a black asphalt surface with the blue surface, which it says will protect pupils from injury.
Yesterday the school was defended against the complaints by one mother, 42.
She said: ‘This is ridiculously over the top. If the children go out there, it’s only usually during a play break of about ten minutes. Everyone is very con- siderate. This is just churlish.’ A final decision is set to be made about the playground by the planning committee next week.
A school spokesman said: ‘We have had a playground at the back of Pembridge Hall School for many decades.
‘We were advised by the council that we were required to obtain a retrospective planning consent for the change of colour of the safety play surface.
‘ We have been consulting locally and are pleased to engage with our neighbours about any concerns they may have.’