Campaigners have been working around the clock to save a historic Grade-II listed building in Lower Clapton, but it’s now been sold for £460,000.
The Old School House has a rich history that locals want to preserve, but it went under the hammer today at Allsop auction house.
The news will come as a blow to the Clapton Arts Trust (CAT), who had submitted and asset of community value (ACV) application to Hackney Council this week.
CAT admitted the application was a long shot, as there is currently no provision or priority for heritage buildings.
Letters in support of the group’s innovative plans to use it as a digital and creative skills hub have come in from a range of professional heritage bodies including the East End Preservation Society, Spitalfield’s Trust and Save Britain’s Heritage.
Campaigner Julia Lafferty said: “The heritage is being sacrificed for housing targets. The plans that have been granted would destroy its historical integrity.”
A petition has also been signed by more than 550 people.
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