Education Partnership North East: Ready for the future
A ‘pioneering’ £54 million Northumberland College campus in Ashington has moved a step closer after the venture was granted planning approval. Here, Ellen Thinnesen, chief executive of Education Partnership North East, which includes Northumberland College, tells North East Times Magazine how the development will create immersive industry experiences for learners while providing a huge boost for its former mining town home.
July 16, 2024
A transformative £54 million net-zero college campus is to be built in Ashington after plans were approved by councillors.
Northumberland College’s new campus will be built to a net-zero specification on a 5.7-acre site in Wansbeck Business Park.
It will provide state-of-the-art academic and technical facilities aligned to industry and regional skills priorities.
The campus – due to open in 2026 – will comprise three blocks and provide teaching spaces for a wide range of courses, including advanced manufacturing and engineering, as well as academic subjects.
Plans for the campus came before Northumberland County Council’s strategic planning committee in June, where they were unanimously approved by members.
Ellen Thinnesen, chief executive of Education Partnership North East, which includes Northumberland College, says: “This is a major, transformative investment of £54 million for the people of Ashington, its surrounding areas, and, more broadly, the county and the North East of England.
“Considering the ambition we have, the current campus at Ashington is not fit for purpose.
“The approval of this application is absolutely crucial and will result in significant benefits to the local community.”
Labour councillor Julie Foster, who represents the Stakeford ward, says: “This has been needed for a long time.
“Even when I went to Northumberland College, a long time ago, it wasn’t the greatest building.
“This looks like a lovely site, and I can see it is going to be of huge benefit for the staff and young people who use it.”
Councillor Guy Renner-Thompson, the council’s cabinet member for education, adds: “The council has worked very closely with the college and the Department for Education to get this investment into Ashington.
“I am really excited about this level of investment coming into Northumberland, and we have to get fully behind it.”
The pioneering campus will be one of a new generation of Government-led educational buildings developed by the Department for Education with advanced concepts, design standards, net-zero and sustainability at the heart of its build and operation.
The hourglass-shaped site includes three buildings incorporating structural designs to enhance sustainability, optimise renewable technologies, meet the challenges of climate change, connect with nature and are designed for health, wellbeing and the environment.
The new college will also house a range of industry-standard facilities.
A dedicated Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering and Construction Skills Centre will be a centre of excellence in electrical, mechanical, robotics and automation, automotive, green transport, construction, housing, retrofit and wider renewable technologies.
A further building will include academic and technical facilities, with curriculum spanning hospital, health, education and childcare, business, tourism, digital and employability.
The campus will also incorporate a centre for young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
There will also be a dedicated centre with catering and dining facilities, a learning and skills centre, an impressive lecture theatre, careers and welfare services, specialist labs, workshops and immersive learning environments.
The campus will be built using biophilic principles, a concept used within the construction sector to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment.
Ellen adds: “Our new Ashington campus will be an inspirational centre for learning, and will play an important role in the UK’s net-zero ambitions and the Government’s prioritisation of further education and skills aligned to local, regional and UK economies.
“More specifically, this investment will hugely benefit Ashington.
“Once the college is built, we will relocate thousands of college students and staff from our current campus to our new facilities, significantly increasing footfall into the town – a move that will undoubtedly support local business and wider economic development.”
To reduce its carbon footprint, innovative, sustainable designs and materials, along with modern methods of construction, will see the campus largely built and manufactured off site before being assembled in Ashington.
External spaces will be just as important as the college’s new internal spaces, with the landscape surrounding the buildings incorporating planting strategies – which will act as solar screening – and rain gardens, while pathways will be made of carefully chosen sustainable materials.
Construction company Bowmer + Kirkland has been appointed under the Department for Education’s framework as design and build contractor, with Bond Bryan providing architectural services.
July 16, 2024
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