Council chiefs have overwhelmingly blocked plans for an independent French school in Wembley to build a five-lane basement swimming available for community use.

The Wembley Educational Charitable Trust (WECT) which looks after the The Lycee International de Londres Winston Churchill in Forty Lane, put in a planning application which was refused by Brent Council’s planning committee on Wednesday night.

The proposal to build a part basement complex in front of the Grade II listed former town hall building had been widely thought to go ahead having received few objections noted in the planning documents.

The plans included a five-lane swimming pool and studio with a green roof, courtyard entrance, security gates and cycle parking.

Community access was proposed for the new swimming pool to be open during the week for use by residents and local schools although no decisions had been made.

The refusal also means that two memorial trees on the land will remain and no trees will have to be uprooted and replanted.

Brent Council sold the building to the French Education Property Trust in 2014 for £10.6m.

The school opened its doors in September with 465 pupils aged five to 18. It has a capacity of 1,300. It was inaugurated by French president Francois Hollande the same month.

A council spokeswoman said: “The Planning Committee voted unanimously to refuse the proposal based, in particular, on concerns about its effect on the setting and views of the Grade II Listed Building on this prominent frontage site.”

WECT has been approached for a comment.