School protest goes to town hall

The protesters camped on the proposed site for six months

Teachers and parents protesting against plans to build a city academy on a sports ground have taken up residence opposite Brent town hall.

Demonstrators have created a "Tent City" outside the council offices in Forty Lane, Wembley, north London.

They want a vote on whether the proposed academy should be built on Wembley Park Sports Ground.

Brent Council previously said it would not reverse its decision to allow Wembley Park City Academy to be built.

The facility is due to be completed by 2010.

Direct action

Protesters object to the sale of the land for the development of a privately-run city academy.

They want it to be built on an alternative site in the south of the borough and for the sports ground to remain intact.

The protesters camped on the proposed site for six months from March this year and moved into tree houses after they said they were threatened with eviction.

Protester Hank Roberts said: "Our message is clear - give us a democratic vote on whether the proposed academy should be built on the Wembley Park site leading to the loss of the sports fields or not.

"If they don't give us this they can expect the campaign of direct action to continue and escalate."

John Christie, of Brent Council, claimed the protest was being led by union activists "to the detriment of local children".

"This nonsense campaign is effectively a campaign against the need to provide school places in Brent," he said.

"To our knowledge there are no parents campaigning at the site and most of the tents put up remain unoccupied.

Mr Christie said the new school would not reduce sports facilities in Brent contrary to what protesters are claiming.

"The new school would create improved sports grounds and make them available to the community in the evenings and at weekends," he said.