A secondary school is expected to open on the site of the old Southwark fire station next year, after plans were rubber stamped this week.
Developer Hadston put forward plans for a 900-place secondary school, 250-place sixth form, a sports hall and 199 homes on the Southwark Bridge Road site last year.
But, despite parents saying the area was crying out for the school, the plans were left hanging in the balance because they did not include affordable housing.
After paying £54million for the site in 2015, Hadston said it was not viable to deliver affordable housing as well as the school and sports facilities.
Parents who tirelessly campaigned for the school delivered a petition to the Mayor of London at City Hall just before Christmas, signed by hundreds of children and adults.
The parents had their prayers answered on Tuesday when a planning committee decided to approve the plans.
The new Haberdashers’ Aske’s Borough Academy will be a mixed-sex non-selective 900-place secondary school and 250-place sixth form.
It is expected to open in temporary accommodation in September 2019 but will later move to a permanent two-storey building and admit 180 children a year, growing year on year.
The development will also see 199 homes built, including a mix of one, two and three bedrooms, as well as converted fire station cottages for family homes.
The residential building would be ten storeys in height at its tallest point.
A green space and a sports centre with a multi-use games area and outdoor artificial pitch for use by both the school and community are also part of the plans.
Brian Fitzpatrick, development director of Hadston, said: “We are delighted that we were given the green light last night to deliver the new school and sports facilities.
“We would like to thank local parents and community groups for all their support which has helped to make this possible and are looking forward to continuing to work with the local community and Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation to deliver the school.”
Adrian Percival, chief executive officer, said: “We are very excited to be bringing a brand new school to Borough and Bankside and meeting the educational needs of the local community.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to do something special.”