Kneller Hall sale to be debated in Parliament as campaign to save it gains momentum

The debate will be heard on Wednesday, February 24, at 11am where Dr Mathias will make the case to keep the Whitton building open to MPs and the Government.

Kneller Hall, which has been home to the Royal Military School of Music since 1857, has been earmarked for sale by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide land for housing.

Dr Mathias submitted the 1,337-strong petition, which required handwritten signatures, to Parliament on February 11 and promised “not to back down”.

Kneller Hall has been home to the Royal Military School of Music since 1857

She said: “Kneller Hall is a much loved part of Whitton and it would be a heartless and ill-judged act by the MoD to sell it off in the face of such strong local opposition.

“I met with Mark Lancaster, the minister responsible for these property sales, recently and left him in no doubt about residents’ views and I am glad to have the opportunity to present this petition to keep up the pressure.

“The message is very clear – we will not back down on this.”

She urged people to sign another petition, set up by resident Nikki Bradshaw, on the change.org website, which, unlike Dr Mathias's petition, can be signed by people living outside the Twickenham constituency.

It has now gathered more than 4,500 signatures.

Vince Cable, MP for Twickenham from 1997 to 2015, fought to save it in the past

Former Twickenham MPs Vince Cable and Toby Jessel, who both fought to save Kneller Hall during their tenures, backed the campaign.

Speaking from his home in Sussex, Mr Jessel said: “If anyone can save it this time, it is Tania Mathias.

“She is already battling hard to stop Heathrow expansion and, while this is not an easy matter to deal with, I think the fight can be won.”

Mr Jessel, who was MP for Twickenham from 1970 to 1997, led the campaign to save the building in the 1980s, when it was given a reprieve.

Dr Cable previously said the MoD’s proposal to sell Kneller Hall “did not totally surprise” him because of previous attempts.

Coun Samuel says he can understand to MoD's decision but does not like it

Richmond Council deputy leader and cabinet member for finance Councillor Geoffrey Samuel said that while he disagrees with the proposed sale, he understands the decision.

He said: “Basically the MoD is under an enormous amount of pressure and always has to consider what its priority is – at the moment that is the armed forces.

“I don’t like what they are doing and think they could have dealt with it better but I do understand why they have done it.”

There are several online petitions campaigning to save Kneller Hall. Visit change.org/p/stop-the-closure-of-kneller-hall and trlibdems.org.uk/save_kneller_hall.