Ambitious redevelopment at West Suffolk College

West Suffolk College has been granted £58 million by the LSC (Learning & Skills Council) towards an £80 million building programme which will transform the Bury St Edmunds campus.

West Suffolk College has been granted £58 million by the LSC (Learning & Skills Council) towards an £80 million building programme which will transform the Bury St Edmunds campus.

The funding will enable West Suffolk College to execute an ambitious project to rebuild the College, including Suffolk House which has presented the College’s public face since the 1960s.

The new buildings will incorporate ‘green’ elements to reduce their environmental impact.

“The College is growing and changing in response to the demands of a fast-moving society, and our physical surroundings need to reflect that,” said Martyn Wagner, Vice Principal Business and Student Services.

“The designs for the new campus are bold and striking, including a flagship Higher Education building which is like nothing we have on the campus today. We are creating a high quality learning environment – one that reflects the requirements of a modern teaching methods and extended curriculum.

“We are already the largest provider of Work Based Learning in Suffolk, an Outstanding provider of education and training with a huge amount of vocational expertise. As University Campus Suffolk Bury St Edmunds we are making a substantial contribution to higher education in the county, with HE admissions expected to double over the next ten years.

“We are moving confidently forward to develop and extend our positive impact on the local economy.”

Contractors are expected to be on site to start the internal stripping out of Edmund House, the oldest section of the College buildings, by Christmas, with demolition taking pace by Easter 2009, along with the start of the new building on the site of the current main car park. Planned completion date for the whole project is early 2012.

The balance of funding for the entire project will come from College reserves and other stakeholders.