The new owners of what was once Croham Hurst Primary are BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, who want to use the site for educational purposes, while making it available for community use, as GENE BRODIE, our education correspondent, reports
The Whitgift Foundation has announced that it has completed a £7.5million property sale in South Croydon, with the former site of its Old Palace pre-school and primary on Melville Avenue being bought by a Neasden-based Hindu organisation.
Final days: Old Palace prep closed last year, and the site has now been sold for £7.5m
The deal will provide a bit of relief to the financially-stretched commercial landowner, who has been forced to close down its girls’ independent school.
The Old Palace prep school closed its gates last July, while the senior school, in the historic listed buildings of the home of Elizabethan Archbishops of Canterbury in Croydon Old Town, is due to deliver its final lessons at the end of summer term this year. The Old Palace senior school is now being offered for sale.
The sale of the prep school and grounds for educational purposes will also come as a huge relief to neighbours in South Croydon, who feared that some part of the site might be bought by property developers to build flats.
The Melville Avenue school – once Croham Hurst Primary – has been bought by BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, one of the largest and most active Hindu communities in the country.
The sale, according to a statement on the Whitgift Foundation website published today, paves the way “for investment to refurbish and repurpose the facilities for both academic and community use”. It has been suggested that the sale proceeds will be “ring-fenced” by the Whitgift Foundation for educational use at its remaining fee-paying schools – Trinity, in Shirley Park, and Whitgift, in South Croydon.
Real estate: the Old Palace prep site on Melville Avenue includes a gym, tennis courts and playing field
The Foundation said today: “With a long-standing commitment to serving local communities, BAPS aims to revitalise the site into a thriving hub for education, sports and social initiatives.”
BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha is based at “Neasden Temple”, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in north-west London, but has been actively involved across south London for more than four decades, hiring local facilities around Croydon to carry out its activities.
“The acquisition of the Old Palace site provides an opportunity to expand these initiatives, offering much-needed facilities for its local users,” the Foundation said. “The organisation’s investment will not only breathe new life into the site but also contribute positively to the surrounding area.”
They detail BAPS’ intentions as “Education at the Heart”, with a “significant portion” of the site dedicated to schooling, in particular special needs education. The site’s gym and sports facilities, assembly halls, classrooms and outdoor spaces “will be brought back into community use”, with facilities made available for hire by other schools and community organisations.
BAPS is also promising to “improve parking facilities”, upgrade existing amenities and “ensure the local area sees reduced congestion compared to its previous school use”.
Neasden Temple: based in north London, the Melville Avene site’s new owners, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, are one of the largest Hindu communities in the country
Roisha Hughes, the recently appointed chief executive of the Whitgift Foundation, described the 2023 decision to close Old Palace schools as “an exceptionally difficult one”, adding that the Foundation is “pleased that the new buyer will be using the site for educational and community use”.
Dr Mayank Shah, a trustee for BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, said: “We are excited to invest in and secure the future of this site, restoring its role as a place of learning and community spirit.
“For many years, we have supported our members and local communities through our programmes, and this new space allows us to expand our services and create an inclusive, welcoming environment for all.”
Read more: Whitgift Foundation decides to close Old Palace School in 2025
Read more: Westfield wants to build five times as many flats in town centre
Read more: Crumbling finances see troubled Foundation lose millions more
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I still think the Whitgift Foundation are an utter disgrace. They sacrificed the education of Croydon’s girls to concentrate on the boys.
Will this really be for community use or just for Hindus? Hopefully, they integrate all ethnicities in this project.