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3rd April 2007

Prestigious New Build Project

A new multi-million pound complex to replace the existing heart-of-town campus is a major building block in Stourbridge College’s quest to lead FE education.

Situated on the edge of the Black Country, Stourbridge College is a diverse Further Education College, providing a wide range of learning opportunities for the local community and employers.

The College has approximately 10,000 students, following full and part time courses. Studying for academic, vocational and work based learning qualifications.

Excellence in vocational training has been recognised with CoVE status in the Built Environment at its Advanced Technology Centre in nearby Brierley Hill.

Phase one of the project is to relocate the Visual and Performing Arts department to a purpose built £23m 'iconic' four acre campus in Brierley Hill, the complex, will also incorporate A Levels and Basic Skills and is due to open in 2009.

For the second phase, the existing Hagley Road Centre in Stourbridge will be redeveloped with a £16m state-of-the-art complex to create facilities that match the outstanding courses on offer.

The College have appointed Kidderminster based Neil Stamps as Project Director to oversee the multimillion pound new build projects in Stourbridge and Brierley Hill.

Neil has extensive expertise in managing large construction projects particularly in the educational sector and recent contracts include a large new redevelopment at Suffolk College and a listed building development at Oxford University.

Neil said: “These are ambitious and challenging plans and I am delighted to have the opportunity to play a part in bringing them to fruition, we are currently undertaking extensive feasibility works and progressing towards site acquisitions.”

College Principal, Lynette Cutting said: "This is an excellent opportunity for the college to make a major contribution to the regeneration of Brierley Hill and will not only offer a creative and inspirational learning environment to students regionally but also new and improved cultural, community and social facilities.

“I am pleased to welcome Neil to Stourbridge College, his wealth of experience will be essential for the success of the projects, one of Neil’s first tasks will be to select the team of professionals required to complete this exciting undertaking.”

First appointment to the team is Birmingham based architects Broadway Maylan who have an outstanding reputation for designing innovative and futuristic buildings for the education sector. The company has ongoing projects for the new Bournville College, which will see it relocate to the former Rover plant at Longbridge and Nottingham’s Basford Hall College, both buildings are of striking and stimulating design.

Heading up the project for Broadway Malyan is award winning Director of Architecture Aidan Ridyard who specialises in delivering public sector buildings, most notably in the education sector and has successfully completed several major FE college projects.

The redevelopment agenda is in response to a government call to step up FE provision, as identified in a crucial piece of legislation March 2006. The Further Education White Paper, Raising Skills Improving Life Chances, plans to transform FE into 'a powerhouse of economic prosperity and social mobility'. Improved buildings and facilities are considered an integral part of this mission, co-ordinated by the Learning Skills Council (LSC).

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