Anger at sports field sell-off

Governors at one of Britain's best-known schools are negotiating with property developers over selling-off sports facilities for £25 million to fund its complete refurbishment.

Holland Park School, once labelled the Eton of comprehensives and a former showcase of progressive education, could be demolished and rebuilt following what would be the country's most valuable playing-field sale.

But the proposal, on which parents are being consulted, has split the governors, with some condemning it as "obscene" that school land should be sold at all for a housing development.

The school has been beset with building problems. Its technology block had to be closed for two years after asbestos was discovered and just over a decade ago, many of its windows fell out during a storm.

Despite refurbishment, the buildings are still plagued by leaking roofs, and governors have decided that further repairs would "pour good money after bad".

What is needed, they have agreed, is a completely new school. But ministers turned down an application for funding under its Private Finance Initiative last year and now the school's governors and Kensington and Chelsea council have been approached by a property developer.

The borough, which owns the land on which Holland Park School is built, says the sale is the only alternative. Education chairman Christopher Buckmaster, also a Holland Park governor, said: "It would appear to be the only option. We don't see where else the money would come from." The council had no funds, he said, and central government was only offering capital funding for PFI schemes or new faith schools.

Councillors are seeking government funding for one of these, a new Church of England school, in the south of the borough.

Mr Buckmaster added: "It is unfortunate that we have to consider selling any part of the school site. But if we want a new school, we have to face reality. If the only way to get one is to sell off some of the land, that is what we will have to do."

Under plans drawn up by the developers, the school would lose a sports hall, swimming pool and an open play area. These facilities, developers say, could be recreated elsewhere on the remainder of the site, either as part of a refurbishment or completely new school building. But some governors are demanding that central or local government halt the sale by stepping in to fund the redevelopment.

Education Secretary Estelle Morris would have to approve the sale of recreational areas following new government rules aimed at halting the wholesale sell-off of the nation's playing fields.

Parent governor Sid Robeson condemned the sell-off plan as "obscene".