BECKENHAM: Protest at Grade II listed Studio despite church renovation promises (From News Shopper)

BECKENHAM: Protest at Grade II listed Studio despite church renovation promises

2:10pm Saturday 12th September 2009 in Search By Scott Mullins

IMPATIENT campaigners led a protest outside a crumbling Edwardian building, unhappy the former school still lies empty and unused.

But the church in charge of a proposed rescue package insist plans are underway to renovate the Grade II listed landmark.

The Studio Community Group has been battling to protect the 1903 Studio building in Beckenham since it was closed by Bromley Council in 2003.

Campaigners hoped when the Citygate Christian Outreach Centre agreed to take over the building’s lease from the local authority earlier this year, the deteriorating former arts and media centre would be saved.

However, members of the group held a protest outside the Studio in Beckenham Road on Friday (September 11) to highlight continuing delays to the mooted restoration project.

Chairman Garnet Frost said: ”All we want is to preserve and to protect the Studio.

“It is a fine building and we want to push it up the agenda.

“It is at the heart of a local conservation area and in a state of critical disrepair.

“There is no sign of any activity going on at the site. The building is in a sorry state and nothing is happening to protect it.”

£250,000 refurb

Citygate says it eventually hopes to transform the building into a £250,000 community facility offering music, dance and drama workshops.

The church’s project manager Chris Hammond said a formal planning application is expected to be sent to Bromley Council at the end of the month, with work starting at the beginning of next year.

“We believe as a church we should bless the community.

“The Studio has been here for a long time and we want to bring it back to what it was.

“We want to start to create a community here.”

Mr Hammond said he “categorically denied” the building would be used for church services.