Rochdale Sixth Form College is to get a ‘crucial’ new six-storey extension to ensure students continue to achieve ‘academic excellence’. Rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and named ‘Sixth Form College of the Year’ in 2021, it currently provides further education for up to 1,480 young learners.
Courses include everything from basic skills development and higher level qualifications through to A-Levels, degrees and apprenticeships. Now the college has been given the green light to extend its town centre base - so it can respond to the growth in technology-based companies and small start-up businesses in the area.
The six-storey extension will provide 19 classrooms, creating room for around 360 extra students. New teaching posts are also likely to be created. Bosses say additional accommodation is ‘crucial to ensure that continual growth can be accommodated and quality expectations can be met’.
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Documents submitted with a planning application- now approved by the council - say the college’s success has made a significant contribution to the town. The ‘need to provide teaching excellence’ is said to be ‘imperative for Rochdale’s economic future and the community’s sustainability’.
Papers add: “The proposed development of Rochdale Sixth Form College’s building is an important part in maintaining their reputation as a leading sixth form college. The proposal considers the community’s needs, is critical in meeting increasing demand and maintains high quality.
“The re-design of the proposed building celebrates the relationship of the site to the moorland that encircles Rochdale. It will be a positive contribution to the rest of the town and the ability of the college to further educational success.”
The extension will be on the College Road side of the building, which is also six storeys in height, and also feature learning support space and staff accommodation.
Papers say its proximity to the river and long distance views over the surrounding moorland offer ‘the potential to create a place with a strong identity and sense of place’.
Metal cladding is intended to complement the existing materials, while the orange colour ‘defines the extension, providing its own identity'.
There will also be a roof garden as outdoor space is limited at the college offering ‘views towards the west and east over the moorland’.
The extension will be built on land which includes five visitor parking spaces, taking the number of bays down from 72 to 72 - including two for disabled drivers. There are also 39 cycle spaces.
To provide additional car parking, the college has agreed to lease 30 car parking spaces in Rochdale Exchange Shopping Centre.
However, given the availability of car parking within the town centre - and the ‘excellent’ walking, cycling and public transport links - this has been deemed ‘acceptable’.
Pedestrian access from the south end of the site and vehicle parking and access to the north will remain unchanged.
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