Work on the new headquarters for the Royal Academy of Dance in Battersea has started and the two acre development will be built specifically for the organisation so that it includes 299 homes, with 50 of them under affordable housing criteria in partnership with A2 Dominion housing association.
The Avanton:Battersea scheme is located on York Road and it will be nearly double the size of the current premises in Battersea Square, which have been agreed to being converted into 34 flats and five modern townhouses.
The Royal Academy is a very important Wandsworth institution that has been there since the 1970s: “The Royal Academy of Dance are proud residents of the borough and wonderful cultural ambassadors for us. Their presence can only stimulate and enhance our cultural offer and I know the local community will continue to benefit from their presence and the wonderful work they do,” said Councillor Ravi Govindia, Wandsworth Council’s leader.
The new homes will reflect the Academy’s status as a world leader in dance education and training: “I believe that this new building will be a world-class headquarters that will not only make our members, staff and partners proud, but will support us in delivering a wide range of benefits and services for the Wandsworth and wider London communities,” added Ravi Govindia.
The headquarters will be a new addition to the area, where cultural venues and organisations are really important to the community. The development is expected to be completed by 2020, which will coincide with the Royal Academy of Dance’s a hundredth anniversary.
Founded in 1920 as the Association of Teachers of Operating Dancing of Great Britain by leading dance professionals, it became known as the Royal Academy of Dancing in 1936 after receiving its Royal Charter from King George V.
