Burnley College has been given the green light to expand its education campus on Princess Way with a new 20,450 sq ft industrial hub and three educational buildings on six acres of land along the River Calder.
The expansion site is adjacent to the college’s current campus on Princess Way, sitting just to the north of the school’s car park which once complete will open up yet more opportunities for young people across Burnley and Padiham.
Commenting on the latest expansion plans, Member of Parliament Antony Higginbotham said:
This is an exciting development for Burnley- one which will secure the borough’s status as a centre of excellence for low carbon training and technology development for years to come.
As always, Burnley College is leading the way nationally gathering the expertise and creating unrivalled facilities which will benefit businesses in a variety of sectors and create jobs. It’s a beacon for other colleges nationwide to follow.
The campus development itself has been carefully designed to create a community asset and will provide an inspirational space to learn and embrace the future of low-carbon technology and advanced working practices.
Working with ABW Architects and Smith & Love Planning Consultants, Burnley College has divided its £12.5m expansion into two phases. Phase one includes the industry hub, which would have a mixture of workshops and learning spaces. Phase two would see the creation of three educational buildings and a car park, which has led the college to designate the expansion site as the North Campus. That phase will also include replacing a bridge to provide access to the college from Holme Road.
The North Campus will aim to be a “haven with buildings in soft landscape, where proximity to nature becomes part of the student experience at Burnley College,” according to the planning application. The scheme also aims to preserve and increase the number of trees on its perimeter and to increase biodiversity through its landscaping plans.
With planning permission now granted, the college aims to complete this phase in November 2022.
