HUNDREDS of parents have voiced their demand for a Harris academy to open in Beckenham.

At a meeting last night organised by campaign group Harris Into Beckenham, it was revealed plans are well underway to open a free school in the area.

The school would be sponsored by the Harris Federation of Academies, which entered into discussions last year with Bromley Council about sponsoring Kelsey Park Sports College, Manor Way, Beckenham.

Talks however failed as the council insisted on remaining as a co-sponsor.

The Department for Education is looking at Harris’s application to set up a free school in Beckenham, which is backed by a petition of more than 1,000 signatures.

Harris chief executive Dr Daniel Moynihan said: “We're driving ahead with the free school option very forcefully as we are assuming Bromley are not going to change their mind.”

He added: "Many of our students live in Bromley. Many of our staff live in Bromley so we have good links with Beckenham and Bromley. We want to meet parental demand."

But Harris, which runs nine academies across south London, is refusing to rule out taking over Kelsey, whose governors launched a consultation on the school’s future earlier this month.

Lord Harris of Peckham, who sponsors the federation, said: “If I was in Bromley Council, rather than be in competition, why don’t they let us have Kelsey? Then we would not have to build a school.

“We had two secretaries of state, both Labour and now Conservative, who said they would like Kelsey Park to be a Harris academy.

"They think we could help to improve that school very quickly."

Click here for a full response by Bromley Council portfolio holder Councillor Ernest Noad.