Radical plans to modernise Oaklands College takes a giant step forward (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Radical plans to modernise Oaklands College takes a giant step forward

2:33pm Thursday 2nd September 2010 in News By Alexandra Barham

Oakland College redevelopment plan

A RADICAL plan to modernise Oaklands College is about to take a giant step forward with an application looking imminent for its Smallford site.

The college was forced to abandon its ambitious multi-million pound redevelopment plan after the now defunct Learning and Skills Council withdrew its promises of capital investment last year.

But the college is now pressing ahead with its plans to expand its main campus in Hatfield Road, Smallford, and improve existing facilities in Welwyn Garden City on a modest budget.

A revised application is on the brink of completion, with the college expected to submit its down-scaled proposals to St Albans District Council sometime in October.

Assuming planning permission is granted, the project will take a two-phase approach, with works scheduled to begin in April next year.

Aimed to be completed by September 2012, the initial phase of the scheme will see the construction of a new teaching block catering for students with learning difficulties, and arts and creative industry students, now based at the college's St Albans city centre and Welwyn Garden City campuses. Students at the college's Smallford campus will also benefit from new sports facilities, including an additional three grass pitches, two astro turf pitches and a large sports hall by September 2012 under the proposals.

In the second phase of the scheme developers, Wimpey, start construction work on the site, which will eventually see private and social housing built.

At the Welwyn Garden City campus, buildings and classrooms will be renovated and a new heating system installed.

The Smallford Campus will also benefit from modernisation and replacement of old buildings, including new outside changing rooms, new potting shed and green houses, as well as an additional astro pitch and two grass pitches.

Oaklands principal Mark Dawe, who today announced that he will resign his position next month to take up a chief executive role with examining body OCR in Cambridge, said: "This college has suffered over the last ten years in terms of property - it has been given a really rough ride. This is the third time lucky in a way.

"We have had some positive feedback from the planners, and the council are working really well with us to make sure the project fits their plans for the district and it provides the college with what it needs. It's been a long and painful process - the students, staff and community deserve this."

Oaklands College has sold off its site in Borehamwood and imminently plans to sell off its site in St Albans city centre, where two thirds was sold for housing in 2002, to fund its redevelopment plans, likely to cost about £20,000,000.

Mr Dawe has stressed students at the city centre site will not transfer to the main campus in Hatfield Road until the works have been completed, which could take up to three years.

Oaklands College was forced to freeze its ambitious project to re-build the Smallford campus in March 2009 after the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) admitted it had promised too many building projects to colleges in the UK without the budget to deliver them.

The new Tory Lib Dem coalition Government has now promised that 150 colleges hit by the cash crisis would each receive £225,000, including Oaklands, for building schemes, while 20 would get £1 million each. The college has applied for additional funding and will find out if its bid has been successful sometime next week.