Hounslow Council's Planning Committee has approved plans for a new school building at Rivers Academy in Feltham, along with temporary playing pitches to be used during construction. The decision, made at a meeting on Thursday, 7 August 2025, paves the way for significant improvements to the school's facilities. The project was announced as part of the third round of schools within the Department of Education's (DfE) School Rebuild Programme (SRP) in July 2022, primarily due to the condition of blocks EFAB and EFAC, according to the meeting's Public reports pack.
The plans involve the erection of a three-storey school building with a single-storey sports block. Blocks EFAA, EFAB, EFAC, EFAD and EFAF will be demolished, and block EFAE will be refurbished. Access, landscaping and associated infrastructure will also be improved.
To minimise disruption during the construction phase, a separate application (P/2025/1059) for a three-storey temporary school building and temporary playing pitches on the school sports field was also approved. The temporary building will be located centrally on the playing fields, including classrooms, staff facilities, and circulation space. Temporary playing pitches will be marked out on the remaining field space, and the existing MUGA courts to the southwest corner will be retained.
The temporary building is expected to be in use for 117 weeks, with an additional 28 weeks for installation and 8 weeks for removal. Staff will use parking provisions on the main school site, as no car parking is proposed on-site for the temporary building.
The existing capacity of the school, i.e., both student and staff numbers, will remain unchanged throughout the project, according to the Public reports pack.
The main school block, EFAA, is a locally listed building and is scheduled for demolition as part of application P/2025/1058, according to the Public reports pack.
The application was recommended for approval, subject to the completion of a S106 agreement and recommended conditions.