The Princess Royal Visits Leeds College of Building

During a recent visit to Leeds, Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal toured Leeds College of Building’s state of the art £17 million education and training facility in the city’s South Bank area, before unveiling a plaque to commemorate the visit and formally opening the campus.

The 8,000 square metre building, which occupies a prominent position close to Leeds city centre on Cudbear Street, opened to students in 2015 and designed to a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating for sustainability.  The purpose-built campus serves a large number of Leeds College of Building’s 7,000 students along with the College’s existing North Street and Millwright Street campuses.

Ian Billyard, Principal at Leeds College of Building, says: “It was a real privilege to give The Princess Royal a full tour of our campus and introduce her to lots of our students.  Her Royal Highness was thoroughly engaged with the visit and spoke passionately to students and our team about the benefits of quality training and further education.

“As the UK’s only specialist construction College, our South Bank campus was specifically designed to provide a modern learning environment where both our students and staff are able to thrive.  It has enabled us to continue building on our high standards of training, as well as expanding the number of courses and qualifications we offer, in order for us to stay ahead of the UK’s rapidly evolving construction industry.

“We are delighted to see how the campus is shaping the lives of thousands of young people, as well as helping to further the careers of large numbers of construction workers.  It’s a landmark building in the South Bank area of Leeds which we are all very proud of, and were honoured by this Royal visit.”

Leeds College of Building is currently building a 5,200 square metre, four storey building, alongside its existing South Bank campus that will offer a wide range of classrooms, workshops and an impressive central atrium, when work completes later this year. Phase 2 will also be the focus for our Level 6 Apprenticeships which will see the College deliver a range of degrees as part of our expanding Higher Apprenticeships, which are currently attracting students from all parts of England. The £13 million development is being supported by an £11.9m grant through the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal.  As part of this funding, £1m will also be spent refurbishing Leeds College of Building’s North Street campus. 

Leeds College of Building currently offers a comprehensive range of courses related to construction and the built environment, including apprenticeships, further and higher education, and business training.