City College is
celebrating the approval by BHCC Planning Committee for its plans for the
redevelopment of City College Brighton & Hove Pelham Street Campus
[December 11].
Said Lynn Thackway, Principal of City College Brighton & Hove: “We
are all absolutely delighted. Our project will transform and secure the future
of Further Education in Brighton for many decades to come. It will enable the
delivery of exceptional learning opportunities for the 10,000 students a year
who come to us to develop new skills on one of our 700 courses.
“Our new buildings will have a huge impact on what our students can
achieve and aspire to. This project will
play a key part in the wider regeneration of the City and create a scheme which
we and the City can be proud of.
“We also
recognise some of the legitimate concerns of local residents and we’re
committed to working with them through the construction process and the ongoing
management of the public spaces to make sure all their concerns are addressed.”
This construction project will contribute to regenerating the London
Road area in particular and the City in general by providing £79m of inward investment and up to 141 local
construction jobs as well as local spend of over £1m. Unlike proposals
submitted in 2008, the College is receiving no Central or Local Government funding for this
project and has to maximise the potential of its land and assets to secure the
additional borrowing necessary to deliver the scheme.
Proposals for the
redevelopment of City College Brighton & Hove Pelham Street Campus include
a ‘state of the art’ further education college, replacing the current building
with modern teaching space and associated uses, situated where the college car
park is now and a mix of student accommodation and residential development on
the remainder, which will help to fund the new College facilities whilst
contributing to the city’s need for homes. The scheme includes 12,056 sqm of
improved learning facilities, 442 rooms of student residential accommodation
and 125 new homes, including a mixture of tenure, which are much needed in the
city.
A new public square
and events space for local people to enjoy is also included in proposals which
are predominantly car free, reducing traffic and pollution, supported by
extensive cycle storage and a shuttle service between campuses. Traffic calming
measures in Pelham Street, using shared surfacing to give pedestrians priority,
public realm improvements and active frontage to encourage a more secure and
enjoyable environment.
