Parts of mansion to be converted into classrooms

Students will be taught at a mansion house and country park as part of new schooling plans.

Lydiard Park Academy in Swindon previously shut its sixth-form building due to structural issues, which led to a search for new learning space.

Plans have now approved to allow young people to be taught at Lydiard House, despite objections from a local heritage group who fear the move could harm the site's value.

Student Alicia Atwell told a Swindon Borough Council planning meeting: "Lydiard House belongs to all the community, including young people. We believe the building should be used purposefully and in a meaningful way."

The approved proposal means meeting rooms at Lydiard House - which are mostly unused - will be refurbished as classroom and teaching spaces.

Arrangements on the ground floor will be made to ensure segregation between the 120 or so students and visitors to the Grade-I Listed mansion, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

Nicholas Baker, of architects BBA behind the scheme, told the committee: "There will be very little change, offices will remain offices, break-out spaces will be break-out spaces, toilets will remain toilets."

Students and members of the public filled the public seats at the committee meeting, with both supporters and opponents of the scheme present.

Michael Grey, trustee at Friends of Lydiard House, said the group was worried by what it saw as a "casual and hurried approach" to the changes.

Councillor Matty Courtliff agreed and added: "Grade-I listing puts Lydiard House on the same level as Buckingham Palace, Bristol Temple Meads and Blackpool Tower.

"I don't believe this plan passes the very high threshold needed."

But the majority of representatives on the planning committee believed differently.

Councillor Neil Hopkins said: "Heritage assets are at risk when they are not used. The risk is from being unused, not from the upper rooms seeing this form of activity."

Lydiard Park Academy, previously known as Greendown Community School, is 0.7 miles (1.12km) from Lydiard House.

Councillors voted eight to one to approve Councillor Gary Sumner's motion to approve the proposals and allow the school to use the building for sixth-form students.

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