Plan To Redevelop Barbara Speake Stage School


Five storey block and forty flats proposed on site on East Acton Lane

Plan To Redevelop Barbara Speake Stage School
Visualisation of the scheme from the developer

Property developer Luxgrove Homes is proposing a development of forty flats on the current site of the Barbara Speake Stage School on East Acton Lane.

The proposal appears to be for two blocks on the site, one of five storeys fronting onto East Acton Lane and another of four storeys at the rear. The scheme would be ‘compliant’ with the current rules on affordable provision and be car free other than including some disabled parking spaces.

The site is currently occupied by the school building which dates back to the early 1900s. Internally the building is arranged with 18 classrooms over ground and first floor. In the centre of the building is a large stage and theatre suitable for performance and assembly that can seat approximately 300 guests. There is a children’s playground on the site.

The school opened towards the end of the Second World War by Barbara Speake making it one of the longest established stage schools in the world. Theatrical agent June Collins came to the school in the sixties and used her relationships in the entertainment industry to find work for pupils at the school. Well-known names whose talent was developed at the school include Phil Collins, Naomi Campbell and Keith Chegwin.

Visualisation of the two blocks from the developer
Visualisation of the two blocks from the developer

The freehold of the property was marketed for sale at £2,750,000 in September of this year but has since been withdrawn from the market. It is not known if Luxgrove Homes has purchased the site.

Luxgrove have developed 20 small and medium sites in Ealing over the last decade and say they have over 100 new homes due for completion in 2021 and 2022,

Barbara Speake Stage School
Barbara Speake Stage School

A planning application for the scheme is likely to be submitted next month with the expectation that it will be considered by Ealing’s planning committee at some point in the Spring. Assuming approval was given work would start in October 2021 and the target date for completion would be March 2023.

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November 25, 2020