DISMAYED neighbours have come together to save a "beautiful" piece of land from being destroyed by one of Britain's leading boarding schools.

Harrow School wants to bulldoze its current sports hall in Harrow-on-the-Hill and replaced it with a bigger one - but 1,200 people have signed a petition against it.

The site, on Metropolitan Open Land, is in a conservation area and sits next to a Grade II listed park, and there are fears both of these will be put at risk if the plans are approved by councillors.

Paul Catherall, who has lived in Mount Park Avenue since 1983, said: "Once it's gone it's gone - if we cannot save this then what can we save? How many areas have we got in Harrow like this? We need to be creating a call of action.

"People are furious and we are dismayed. It's such a beautiful setting. We aren't saying don't have the facilities, we are just saying build them somewhere else.

"It's a very special area and approving this will set a precedent for building on open land in the future."

Mr Catherall believes nearby brownfield sites should be considered, but claims he and his neighbours have not been consulted about the plans.

The 54-year-old company owner added: "It should be done with proper consultation instead of a tick-box exercise. It feels like they haven't done a proper evaluation of the brownfield site because it's too inconvenient for them.

"We are not saying don't have the facilities, we are saying build them elsewhere.

"The school is looking for very special circumstances but it’s a dangerous precedent if it is approved and we we have to defend the loss of Metropolitan Open Land."

Around 10,000 tourists visit the school and soak up the sights at the top of the hill every year, but the new sports hall could restrict the views of London.

The current views can only be seen from footpaths and London's Capital Ring walking route, but these could end up being "blocked and blighted" by the hall.

If approved, it will be 7,307 square meters and include a swimming pool as well as a conference suite.

John Boal, who has lived in the area for more than 20 years, said he was generally sympathetic to the development of schools.

He said: “Schools want the best facilities for their pupil but when I saw the location of the building and the impact it would have on the area, I thought this really isn’t a good idea.

“Anybody who takes a walk on this precious open land will not fail to be appalled by the enormous grey structure which will obstruct their view. It’s so unnecessary when it appears that there is a viable alternative.”

Professor Alan Evans, who lives near the site, is also fighting the application. He said: "The school keeps saying the core view won't be affected - but that is land that isn't open to the public. They say they don't challenge people from walking through the grounds but I've been stopped a couple of times, so that's not true."

Harrow Council said it is currently looking into the application.

Harrow School declined to comment.

To sign the petition, click here.