A £45 million scheme has been submitted to upgrade facilities at Brooklands College’s Weybridge campus and add 320 homes and community facilities.
In addition to new education provision, the college, along with Cala Homes, has submitted plans to Elmbridge Borough Council for the homes, including 128 affordable units, along with a sports centre, community hub and public access to 12 hectares of woodland.
The scheme is intended to save the college following a financial crisis in recent years.
Full details of the scheme reveals plans to:
- Upgrade the teaching facilities
- Deliver Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision in a new purpose-built area
- Deliver a new sports centre and community space for the use of the college and the community
- Generate revenue for the college to pay off substantial debt owed to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to try to secure the college’s long-term future
- Refurbish the site’s listed mansion building, returning it to residential use
- Provide 320 new homes, of which 40 per cent will be affordable
- Open up 12 hectares of woodland for newly accessible public use
Christine Ricketts, principal of the college, said: “These plans are absolutely essential to securing the future of the college. Not only will they put the college on a stable, financial footing, they will upgrade our teaching buildings and provide us with a state-of-the-art campus to provide the highest standards of training and vocational learning.
“Brooklands has a rich history and I’m proud that these plans will cherish and enhance its unique heritage.”
A number of changes have been made to the scheme in response to local feedback. John Richards, land & planning director at Cala Homes, said: “We have had extensive consultation with the local community. The feedback has helped inform our plans.
“We have also developed our plans with a comprehensive look at the cumulative impact of other foreseeable development projects in the area. We have made several changes to our plans so that the project better represents the needs of the wider Weybridge community.
“This scheme also makes a significant contribution to the community – in not only securing the future of the local college but in providing over 100 much needed affordable homes, delivering a new sports centre for the community and opening a 12-hectare woodland for public use.”
The proposals follow the discovery of major financial issues at the college in recent years.
An investigation into subcontracting found a debt of £25m due to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
A new leadership team is now in place and has worked up the development plan which intended to repay the debt.
Without the sale of the excess land for residential development, the college said it would be insolvent.
Visit www.brooklandsgrove.co.uk.
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