Greg Hands this week welcomed the progress being made in the Fulham Boys School’s move to its permanent site.
Member of Parliament for Chelsea & Fulham, Greg Hands, is proud to be a patron of the Fulham Boys School, a Free School established in 2014 following the Government’s education reforms. Under the previous Conservative administration on Hammersmith & Fulham Council, the School had been due to move from its temporary site in Gibbs Green to a permanent site in Parsons Green, but this was prevented under the new Labour administration in 2014.
Since then, the School’s Headmaster, Mr Alun Ebenezer, the Chairman of Governors, Mr Alexander Wade, the Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan, the Conservative former Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and local MP, Greg Hands, among others, have strived to secure a new site for the growing Free School.
Ultimately, a permanent site for the Fulham Boys School was found last year. In light of the fact that Fulham Police Station was operating at only 35% utilisation, it was decided to repurpose the main site, an outcome which will allow the Fulham Boys School to move in. The Police station shut on Monday, 6 June, ahead of a public exhibition of the School’s plans.
Throughout the process, Chief Superintendent Gideon Springer, Borough Commander for Hammersmith & Fulham, has reassured local residents and stakeholders that the way in which the local community accesses the services of the Metropolitan Police in Fulham – whether to report a crime or to hand in lost property, for example – will stay the same. Ch. Supt Springer has emphasised that a police front counter service will remain in operational use, that the Borough’s neighbourhood policing teams will continue patrolling and supporting the community, and that the telephone and internet services will continue as before.
Ch Supt Springer drew attention to the fact that the repurposing of the site on the corner of Fulham Road and Heckfield Place will reduce running costs and release significant capital value, which in turn will be reinvested into new and improved facilities at Hammersmith Police Station, ultimately providing an improved service for local residents. The redevelopment of the site will also allow nine new homes to be built, as well as facilities available for community use.
Commenting on these proposals to getwestlondon, H&F Neighbourhood Watch chairman, David Millar, said: “The key thing form a Hammersmith & Fulham perspective is that they are going to upgrade Hammersmith police station which in my view is not fit for purpose.
“At Fulham the police station is already subject to reduction in opening hours, and they’re planning to keep the front desk open so there will be public access which is a good thing.
“But beyond that, the way they operate, they don’t need to be based in a police station per se. There’s no reason why they can’t sell one property and reinvest making another fit for purpose.”
Speaking in response to the Fulham Boys School’s proposals, Member of Parliament for Chelsea & Fulham, Greg Hands, said: “It’s great news that the Fulham Boys School is making progress in its move to a permanent new home. We’ve been fighting hard to find a permanent site for the School since the Labour administration cancelled its proposals in 2014.
“It’s also incredibly important that the Police are keeping open their front counter service and maintaining their patrols and support for the community. I’m glad to see that they are making a serious effort to maximise the utilisation of their estate, and that they are reinvesting to provide the best possible service for the Borough’s local residents.”
The public exhibition on the Fulham Boys School’s proposals took place at St John’s Church, North End Road, SW6 1PB, on 8-9 June. Further details on the School’s move to its permanent site are available by writing to [email protected] or by calling 020 7381 7100.