A GRANDMOTHER has backed a campaign to save a much-loved old school building from demolition.
Three generations of 85-year-old Marjory O'Farrell's family attended the former Old Oxted School House in Beadles Lane.
But its days could be numbered because of a planning application to demolish the 142-year-old building to make way for seven flats.
Mrs O'Farrell, who lives in Woodhurst Park, Oxted, told the Mirror: "I would be appalled if it is knocked down.
"My father went to school there, I went there and so did my eldest son.
"And my first husband even organised fundraising for the school's swimming pool.
"I've such happy memories of the school."
It eventually closed down in 1993. Mrs Farrell – whose maiden name is Sands – recalls the big open fires in the school building, swimming lessons in a local pond and marching in a May Day parade.
She added: "If the building can be preserved to build the flats, that would be a step in the right direction.
"But I'm not sure where all the cars would go for the residents of the new homes."
About 40 e-mails or letters of objection have been sent to Tandridge District Council, calling for the school to be saved from demolition.
Some have called it a "historic landmark", arguing it should be incorporated into any new development in the same way the former Oxted police station was.
A Merstham-based firm called Beadles Lane Developments is behind the homes application.
A document accompanying its application said the site was well-suited for residential use, with the new development replacing the former school while respecting surrounding properties
Residents held a meeting at the nearby Crown pub last Wednesday to plan their next move. It was agreed to lobby local schools and Oxted Parish Council for their support.
Meanwhile Oxted and Limpsfield Residents' Group has spread word of the demolition threat via its newsletter.
And a Save Old Oxted School House page on Facebook has about 170 likes.
The council is expected to decide on the scheme later this month.
