News / KNowle West
Demolition of former community centre begins ahead of site redevelopment
The demolition of a former community centre has begun ahead of the redevelopment of the site.
Contractors have begun to pull down the previous home of The Park Centre on Daventry Road in Knowle West.
The Park moved into a new purpose-built building next to its old premises in February 2022.
is needed now More than ever
Its former home, which was originally a secondary school, is being knocked down to make way for a new secondary school – the first in Knowle West in more than 20 years.
A new secondary school is set to be built in place of the former Park Centre building in south Bristol – photo: Wates
Emma Hinton, director of The Park, said they are happy to see that the demolition of the old site has begun.
She said: “This will mean that we will be able to complete the final stage of our redevelopment. Although, it is sad to see the old building, which served us so well start to be demolished. It is also exciting to see that work to build a new school, which this community desperately wants, is also beginning.”
The new secondary will share the same site as The Park Centre on Daventry Road in Knowle West – photo: Charlie Watts
The Park, which is home to organisations such as Square Food Foundation, Youth Moves and The Park Knowle FC, had occupied the former Merrywood School building since 2000, following the closure of the school.
In 2005, the late Queen visited the centre and the first three series of Channel 4 series Teachers were filmed there.
In its place, a new secondary school is to be constructed by Wates and run by Oasis Community Learning.
Called Oasis Academy Daventry Road, it was first announced in 2019 but has been blighted by delays and is not due to be completed until September 2024.
It will first open in temporary accommodation, on the site of the existing Oasis Academy John Williams in Hengrove, in September 2023.
Wates and Oasis did not respond to a request for comment.
Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a pilot project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo: The Park
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