Dilapidated old huts on the grounds of an Eltham School can’t be demolished because they have been listed as being historically significant.

The huts on the grounds of Gordon Primary School date from shortly before World War One but are in a state of disrepair and the school would like to get rid of them.

However Historic England have stepped in and said that nobody can touch them as they are of “special architectural interest”.

Gordon School opened in 1904 and the huts opened shortly afterwards, accommodating extra pupils that attended the school during World War One.

The Historic England listing says that the huts “site illustrates the contrast between the architectural exuberance of Edwardian board school design and the early use of functional, flexible structures to accommodate pupils”.

This listing has frustrated principal Jason Taylor at Gordon Primary because he feels the space occupied by the empty huts could be used for something far more useful.

He said: “They are falling apart and they shouldn’t really be on school property because they are not safe.

“Ideally it would be great if they could go so that space could be used for science labs or an arts studio or a playground. At the moment they take up a huge amount of space.”

Greenwich Council are looking into how to argue their case for what to do about the huts.

Councillor Miranda Williams, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “I indicated that the non-listed Huts would be demolished. However, as it has now been ascertained that all the Huts are listed and due to the Huts potential historic significance, any decision made regarding the future will need to have Historic England and Planning Authority agreement

“This will take time to understand and carefully manage so in order to understand options an independent accredited surveyor, who is an expert in historic/heritage buildings and planning matters, is being appointed to carry out a condition appraisal and options study to inform decision making.”