One of Brighton’s sixth form college is hoping to build a new student building to replace temporary classrooms and provide extra teaching space.
Brighton Hove And Sussex Sixth Form College (BHASVIC) has submitted plans for a new three-storey block on its Dyke Road site, which would include 10 new classrooms, a library and study space, a café and would house the additional learning support and student services teams.
A phased development over four stages would see the college erect a temporary building on the netball court, after which three existing temporary buildings, currently used for teaching, would be demolished.
A new permanent three-storey building will then be constructed and the temporary building on the sports site will be removed again, with additional car parking spaces opened.
However, the college says it does not have the funding to start work on the project, and is submitting the application in the hope it will improve chances for future bids to the Department for Education.
William Baldwin, principal at BHASVIC, said: “The driver behind this planning application is our desire to replace temporary modular accommodation that has been in place for 15 years.
“It has been part of our estates strategy for a long time, but we will need the capital investment to be able to afford to build it.
“Unfortunately, capital investment in colleges is well behind where it needs to be, and this project is dependent on increased investment in colleges from central government to give students the appropriate accommodation to support their learning.”
The college emphasises in the application that it does not seek to increase student numbers with the new building, but that it would replace outdated existing facilities.
Design documents in the application show that the height of the new purpose-built block would not exceed the College House ridgeline.
The building would have red brick and copper cladding to match other college buildings on the site and would also have level access with accessible entrances.
The construction plan for BHASVIC has seen the Copper Building (2015) and the Elms Building (2021) be added to the site.
Information about potential plans was shared with the public and governors in December 2022 and in July this year at consultation events.
The college was graded outstanding at its last inspection by Ofsted in 2022 and has around 3,420 full time pupils.
You can find full details of the application on the council’s planning portal under reference BH2023/02859.
