Campaigners held a party in the park to celebrate "victory" in their battle to prevent a new school being built there.

Members of the Save Our Rec protest group gathered at Brent Lea Recreation Ground in Brentford for a picnic on the evening of Wednesday (August 12).

They were joined by a number of councillors as they toasted their success at preventing the grounds being used as a temporary site for the primary free school Floreat Brentford.

Joanna Russell, who helped spearhead the campaign, said: "It was a very social event with local residents and councillors and we were all delighted to hear that there are no plans to allow any building on our recreation ground.

"This has been a long and tiring battle, but we have won and in doing so, secured a precious park for all the local resident to enjoy, now and for the future.

"Thanks to everyone who helped us in our campaign and to those councillors who put themselves in a difficult situation by going against the grain."

Councillors had approved plans for Floreat Brentford to open this September at the recreation ground in London Road and remain there for two years, while the school sought a permanent location.

Members of Hounslow Council's cabinet initially approved a 125-year lease for the school in part of the park, which was also being considered as a permanent venue.

However, they dropped plans to award the lease and appropriate the land in the face of fierce local opposition.

The school is now due to make Trico House, a tower block at Brentford's Great West Quarter estate, its temporary home for the next two years.

A search known as a 'sequential site assessment' is now being carried out to find a permanent location.

'Recreation ground not ruled out as permanent home of school'

James O'Shaughnessy, managing director of Floreat Education, said all sites were under consideration in that search, including Brent Lea Rec.

Brentford & Isleworth MP Ruth Cadbury has said she hopes the Commerce Road site in Brentford, which was originally earmarked for the school but is currently needed as a bus garage, may be available in time to become its permanent home.

Ms Russell said although the battle to prevent building on the rec had been a tiring one, it had galvanised the park's users.

They have now created a Friends of Brent Lea Rec group to protect and improve the park, and to try to attract more visitors.

"I think quite a few positives have come out of this. We've got to know a lot of people who we would have just walked past on the street before," she said.

"I think people will start to use the rec more now, especially if there's an injection of section 106 money [cash given to the council by developers as part of planning agreements] which we're told will be happening.

"If we can use that well we can maybe have a small play area for young children and make better use of the tarmacked area, perhaps reinstating the tennis courts, but we don't want to do too much because it's such a pretty place as it is."

She also wished good luck to campaigners opposing plans for a school in Osterley.