All systems go for new campus

Students and staff at East Riding College are celebrating after the final go-ahead was given for a new £14million campus in Beverley.

The four-storey building will form part of the wider Flemingate redevelopment project and will open to learners in September 2015.

The College can now confirm the project will go ahead following the granting of full planning permission for 36 homes on the College’s Gallows Lane site and the subsequent conclusion of its sale, which secures essential funding for the new campus.

The new building will feature the latest in teaching and learning technologies and a range of "green" elements to make it highly environmentally friendly. Construction work is set to begin by the end of this month.

The cost of the campus will be met by the College, together with a £2million capital grant from the Skills Funding Agency and £1million from the European Regional Development Fund.

Principal Derek Branton said: “We are all delighted that our new Beverley campus has now become a reality and we look forward to welcoming the first students to the building in 2015.

“The new campus will have a hugely positive impact on education and training in Beverley and further afield as we work with young people, adults and employers to develop skills across the region.”

He added: ”The campus will occupy a prime position on the Flemingate site and is perfectly placed for people travelling by bus and train, and in due course those who use the proposed park and ride on the southern relief road.

"Its construction will further enhance the College's learning facilities following the opening of our new campus in Bridlington in 2009, making it one of the best equipped nationally.”

Chairman of Governors Richard Lacey said: “The development of our new Beverley campus is a real boost for education and skills in the region, and we can’t wait to take our place in this exciting new development in Flemingate.

“The benefits will be felt by students of all ages and by employers across sectors as we continue to develop the skills base in the region.”

The new campus will feature 30 teaching rooms with specialist IT facilities and a large Learning Resource Centre with access to a wide range of digital and printed reference materials.

It will also feature industry standard hairdressing and beauty therapy salons, a restaurant and a travel agency, which will provide realistic training facilities for students and be open to paying members of the public.

One key element will be the Energy Technology Centre, which will provide facilities for small to medium enterprises, corporate support services and links to training across a range of business, energy and environmental services.

It will offer a unique conference and business location in Beverley, with facilities including an 80-seat conference facility and self-contained office space.

A showcase of energy technology solutions will also be available for companies seeking to improve energy efficiencies in the workplace.

The architects, Jefferson Sheard Architects, have designed a highly environmentally friendly building and the campus will earn an "excellent" rating under the national assessment scheme for sustainable buildings.

The "green" elements of the building include photovoltaic (solar) cells to generate electricity, air source heat pumps and a biomass boiler to reduce the use of fossil fuels in heating the building and rain water harvesting to flush the toilets.

The existing college campus in Gallows Lane will be developed by Peter Ward Homes, with 36 houses being built on the site, commencing in the autumn of 2015.