Northampton College opens up plans for new building in Daventry for public consultation

The new building, designed by award-winning architects Pick Everard, will be modern in style.

Facilities will include specialist workshops for engineering and science labs, as well as state of the art library facilities. There will be contemporary hairdressing and beauty therapy salons, ICT suites, teaching space for healthcare and childcare plus dedicated provision for students with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Principal Pat Brennan-Barrett said: “As a college, our ambition is to be the first choice for training and education in Daventry and our plans demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the town and the local community.

“We now have exciting plans for our state of the art new building to share with the community and we hope that local people will come and see our plans for themselves.

“We want to hear their views on our proposals to help us prepare the next stage of our planning application.”

The plans come after the college’s successful bid for £6.5 million of government funding. The grant was awarded on condition the college match funds the project and to do this, a planning application has already been submitted to re-develop part of the current college site for housing.

The new college campus will be self-contained and designed more efficiently using just 50 per cent of the space of the existing facility.

Construction is due to start in September and it is planned that the new centre will open its doors in autumn 2016.

The centre will provide places for 700 students, including 200 apprenticeships, and will focus on developing the skills identified as central to the local economy. A new curriculum for the centre is also being developed.

The public exhibition on the new building will be open at the college’s Badby Road West campus tomorrow (Friday) between 3pm and 7pm.

Members of the development team and college managers will be available to answer visitors’ questions. Comments on the plans will be collected at the event or via the college website and can be submitted to [email protected] by May 22.