A Ministry of Defence building that was sold off in 2021 could have a new lease of life in West London.
Kneller Hall in Twickenham would become a huge private school with a swimming pool and forest under new plans submitted to Richmond Council.
Private school Radnor House would move its senior school to the 30-acre site if the proposals were approved.
The school is at full capacity and would expand to eventually admit up to 1,000 pupils. It currently charges up to £7,430 per term.
Radnor House in Twickenham is owned by Dukes Education which bought Kneller Hall from the Ministry of Defence in September 2021.
The Grade II listed mansion was home to the Royal Military School of Music for almost 170 years and was built in the 1700s.
Modern buildings on the site would be bulldozed under the plans, while Kneller Hall and other buildings would be renovated and converted into the new school.
A three-storey teaching block, sports centre with a swimming pool and sports pavilion would also be built.
The band practice hall would be turned into a 270-person school hall and the guardroom would become a music centre.
There would also be a forest school on the grounds.
Local schools and groups would be able to use the outdoor sports facilities and forest school – mainly in the evenings, weekends and during school holidays.
A planning statement says Radnor House has a waiting list for entry into most year groups.
It says: “The school wishes to expand to enable it to improve the facilities that it provides to existing students and also to further grow the school.”
All pupils in years 7 to 13 at Radnor House will move to Kneller Hall if the plans are approved, and extra forms will be added to the senior school each year.
Radnor House will become a junior school and expand to accommodate up to 300 students.
Darryl Wideman, principal of Radnor House, said: “The submission of the plans for Kneller Hall marks another milestone along the road of this exciting development, and we are looking forward with relish to the chance to combine everything that has been achieved at Radnor House since its opening in 2011 with the space, facilities, and opportunities that the new site will provide in the years ahead.”
Mr Wideman would be the headmaster of Kneller Hall if the plans are approved and it would aim to open in September 2023.
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