Mansfield Council gives the greenlight to a new £8.8m campus

This week the local authority gave the go ahead for the ambitious project which will encourage businesses to adopt new technologies.

A new, state-of-the-art proposal has been given the thumbs up to begin construction at the Chesterfield Road campus of West Nottinghamshire College. The multi-million-pound education facility, due to open in autumn 2024, will deliver qualifications at level three and above.

The new institution will provide a strong focus on innovation and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) subjects. In addition, the campus is set to offer locals the opportunity to meet future labour market needs, plug skills gaps, and help to create well-paid jobs in Mansfield and the wider district.

Following this, the new centre, which is being funded through an allocation of £4.3m from the council’s Towns Fund pot and £3.827m from the Education and Skills Funding Agency, will provide 1,343 sq. m. of teaching space over two floors and be a focal delivery point for T levels – new qualifications developed in collaboration with employers – being introduced by the college.

‘I am thrilled to see the planning committee approve these proposals so we can kick-start the project and get a spade in the ground to deliver this skills hub for our next generation,’ Cllr Stuart Richardson said. ‘We now have two of our Towns Funds projects progressing at pace, the Warsop Health Hub and now the skills hub.’

Cllr Richardson added: ‘Although these processes take time, coupled with inflation and soaring construction costs, we are doing what we can to make these projects happen to give residents and future generations at Mansfield they can be proud of.

‘This partnership with the college will see one of the district’s biggest expansions in educational and skills provision for decades. It will also encourage new employers to start or come to Mansfield, knowing that high-level, industry-relevant skills are being developed here.’

News of this new education facility being created has come during the same week that young adults/teenagers have picked up their A level results for this year.

One-site workers are expected to begin work within the next few weeks, which will include demolishing the college’s former visual art and design building – once the Mansfield School of Art – which has not been widely used for education in almost a decade due to its poor conditions.

Image: Ivan Henao

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