The demolition of the former St Mary Bredin School has been branded a “shameful piece of civic vandalism” by the council’s former director of planning.

The Victorian building, which stood for 160 years opposite the city wall in Rhodaus Town, Canterbury, has now been reduced to a pile of rubble to make way for a block of 146 student flats.

It was set to be given a reprieve after councillors rejected the scheme last May against the recommendation of the authority’s planning officers.

But the decision was overturned by the planning inspector in January, with bulldozers arriving on site soon after.

Many city residents have expressed their sadness at seeing the destruction of the landmark.

Among them is Mansell Jagger, who spent more than a decade in charge of the planning department at Canterbury City Council.

He believes the authority should have taken steps to protect the old building.

“The demolition can only be described as a shameful piece of civic vandalism,” he said.

“This was a fine example of a mid-Victorian school, largely unaltered and in good condition. Most councils would have been proud to have such a building in their area.

“It should have been included in the local list of buildings of historic and architectural interest and was perfectly capable of being reused as a student facility in the new developments - its retention should have been written in to the planning brief for the area.

“The demolition goes against not only the council’s heritage strategy and the Local Plan, but also against national policy guidance.

“To my knowledge, Canterbury has not wilfully lost an historic building for more than 50 years - the council should be ashamed of itself.”

The St Mary Bredin School opened in 1860 and welcomed pupils until it closed 80 years later. It reopened during the 1940s as one of Canterbury’s British Restaurants, providing nourishing food during the Second World War.

The building was given a new lease of life in the 1950s when it was bought by Rootes Ltd and used as the office for its second-hand car business.

Architect Guy Hollaway says he understands concerns over the demolition but insists the new-build will blend into the cityscape.

“I do sympathise and completely understand local resistance to the loss of the building,” he admitted.

“However, the decision to not list it was down to Historic England and they reviewed it in great detail. The old school was assessed at great lengths and it was considered to be incredibly expensive to renovate - it was beyond viable use.

“As with all our projects, we understand the area and draw up quality architecture that can stand the test of time.

“While change can be difficult, we know that the new-build will bed into and complement the city.”

In contrast, David Cawley, another critic of the development, said: “This loss of another part of Canterbury’s streetscape is to be deplored. Even when it was in use in conjunction with the Rootes Group premises next door, the old school had a distinct and pleasing appearance. Surely an architect of Mr Hollaway’s ability could have incorporated the school within his scheme?

“The connection with St Mary Bredin recalls the old church of that dedication which stood at the junction of Rose Lane and Gravel Walk.

“It took Hitler and the might of the Luftwaffe to bring that building down.

“The old school needed only the planning inspector and Mr Hollaway.”

‘Number of benefits’ to student flats

The city council describes the school’s fate as a “complex case” which involved Historic England (HE) - the government’s heritage adviser - from the outset.

Spokesman Rob Davies said: “Although HE was satisfied that demolition could go ahead, we refused the planning application because of concerns over the impact of the proposed new buildings.

“The appeal against the decision was considered by a government planning inspector who decided to grant permission, so the decision to approve was not made by us.

“Decisions as to whether a building should be listed are taken by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

“There was a third party request in October 2017 to list the school building, but this was rejected by the DCMS upon the advice of HE, on the grounds that the Victorian building is functional and typical of its date and demonstrates little further architectural interest or innovation.

“Our position with regard to the site has remained consistent.

“The 2011 development brief for the Rhodaus Town/Peugeot garage site, which includes the St Mary Bredin site, was subject to public consultation.

“In that brief it stated that if the building was to be replaced, the proposed development must provide substantial public benefit that outweighs the loss of the building.

“As the planning committee report made clear, the current proposal for the site has a number of benefits, including making a significant contribution towards an unmet need for purpose-built student accommodation, which in turn reduces the pressure on the local housing stock and allows family homes to be returned to the market.”

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