Mayor backs down over ballet school extension

Ken Livingstone has backed down in his battle over the expansion of the Royal Ballet School.

He will today announce that he will allow the school to expand its home in Richmond Park, even though the proposals breach normal rules on protected green space.

The Mayor had initially blocked the plans, claiming they did not do enough for diverse communities. He claimed that the location, in the listed White Lodge in the centre of the park, made it impossible to reach from poorer boroughs.

Now he has withdrawn his objection after weeks of negotiations.

The school wants to demolish two blocks and add a new boarding house, dining hall, dance studio and swimming pool. But the plans requires the loss of 1,130 square metres of protected green space.

The school, which needs to expand to meet new rules on accommodation rules, is understood to be in a race to secure planning permission to secure a government grant.