Hackney Council seeks community uses for former school sites

Hackney Council has invited organisations to repurpose a former Dalston primary school as part of wider plans for sites left empty after closures last year.

News comes as a further four schools are set to close in summer 2025 due to falling rolls, with similar reviews expected.

Groups are being asked to submit proposals for the former Colvestone Primary School, which shut in summer 2024 following a fall in local pupil numbers. The council said bids that provide “positive benefit for the local community” will be prioritised, with uses such as education, arts, leisure or social enterprise under consideration.

Colvestone is one of four sites closed last year after a drop in demand for primary places. The council has since been reviewing options for the buildings.

Under current plans, Colvestone would be leased to an organisation with a financially viable proposal and a record of community engagement. The council said local groups are “particularly encouraged” to take part.

The other three sites could be adapted for different uses: Baden Powell Primary School in Hackney Downs is proposed to reopen as a special school, expanding Ickburgh School to provide places for autistic children with severe learning difficulties; Randal Cremer Primary School in Hoxton is being considered for conversion into temporary housing for local residents; and De Beauvoir Primary School in Dalston is also being explored for use as temporary accommodation.

Caroline Woodley, mayor of Hackney, said: “Like many other boroughs in inner London, Hackney has seen a rapid fall in the number of children attending local primary schools, and having to close these schools as a result has been incredibly tough – for the pupils and their families, for teachers and school staff, some of whom had also been pupils at the schools, and for the wider communities in which they had previously played such an important role.

“We cannot let these buildings sit empty or simply offload them to the highest bidder, but have a duty to ensure they remain important public assets that benefit our communities. That’s why we’re bringing forward plans that not only bring these spaces back into use, but also tackle some of the most difficult issues we face.”

She added: “While there is work to do to deliver on these plans, we’re committed to keeping the communities who are invested in the future of these buildings informed and involved, starting by encouraging organisations to put forward proposals for Colvestone Primary School.”

The council said the plans remain subject to finances, planning permission and, where required, government approval to change the use of educational facilities.