A plan to house the flagship West London Free School in a building earmarked for a special school looks set to be dropped after an appeal from local head teachers.

The free school, pioneered by journalist Toby Young, had been due to launch in September at the Bryony Centre in Shepherd's Bush before later moving to Palingswick House in Hammersmith.

But the temporary move into the Bryony Centre would have delayed plans to rehouse Cambridge School, a state special school serving pupils who live mainly in the north of the borough, on the same site, and the decision now looks set to be reversed after two head teachers challenged the move.

Cambridge head teacher Olivia Meyrick wrote to Hammersmith and Fulham Council urging it to consider placing the West London Free School in the buildings it is vacating in Cambridge Grove, much closer to Palingswick House.

She was backed by Sir William Atkinson, head teacher of Phoenix High School in White City, which is immediately next to the Bryony Centre and had planned to share some of its facilities and expertise with the special school.

The council responded by asking the free school's trustees to consider their suggestion, and letters were sent to stakeholders at the end of last week alerting them to the change of plan.

Toby Young told the Chronicle that the free school would be 'insane' not to take up the offer of moving into Cambridge School once it empties, and that a consultation had been 'enlarged' to consider it.

He said: "We're anxious to do whatever's in the best interests of the special needs children currently at the Cambridge School, but we can't prejudge the outcome of our consultation. Personally, I think it would be insane not to do it."

If the consultation result on February 22 is supportive, Cambridge School is likely to move into the refurbished Bryony Centre in September.

Ms Meyrick said: "We're absolutely delighted. We await the results of the consultation with baited breath but we're excited at the prospect of being able to move."

Being based in White City would place the school at the heart of its community, she said, and would bring pupils closer to important facilities like the Janet Adegoke leisure centre and the city farm run by Phoenix High School.

Helen Binmore, the council's children's services leader, said the authority would try to satisfy the needs of all those involved.

"If Cambridge School would rather bring their move forward, we will do everything we can to help them prepare the site and help their pupils settle in to their new building," she said.

Labour leader Stephen Cowan urged the council to ensure that the Bryony Centre is refurbished to the standard promised in the cancelled Building Schools for the Future programme before the special school moves in.

He added: "I know Toby Young has been lobbying for Cambridge School for some time and I'm concerned that he seems to have more success lobbying the council than any other community group in the borough."

The changes will not affect the admissions policy of the West London Free School, which is initially judging the proximity of pupils by how far they live from Hammersmith Town Hall, or its plans to open in September. The free school was oversubscribed in its first year, with 445 applications for 120 places.