North West Premier Construction

New building upgrade boost for high achieving college

Premier Construction Hospitality Rail- No Photo
Written by Roma Publications

A major £2.2m new build and upgrade project recently completed at high-achieving Nelson and Colne College, Lancashire, has provided a whole host of new facilities.

The scheme included the provision of a new cyber link forming a new arterial route through the college and now linking the Pendle Building to the rest of the college estate.

In addition, new high-tech, state of the art science laboratories and maths teaching facilities have also been provided, along with upgraded and refurbished physical education facilities. And to enhance the college’s already exemplary green credentials, a new solar power PV installation has also been introduced.

The scheme, designed by architects Ellis Williams Associates, building services engineers BES Design and structural engineers AJP, commenced on site last April, with CRE UK as project managers and leading local contractor Barnfield Construction as main contractor. The works were completed in December 2014.

Project Manager Paul Anderson for CRE UK commented: “We have been pleased to work in collaboration with the college management and estates team to meet the needs of the college and its students in the delivery of this vital project.”

A special VIP event to officially launch the new facilities was held by the college’s sixth form In February 2015.

The college already has an incredible national reputation for excellence and has recently been named within the top 1% of schools and colleges nationally in the 2015 Alps report.

The college also boasts a phenomenal 100% pass rate across both A Level and Vocational programmes and has 1600 full time students based at its 12-acre site.

Now students at the college can benefit from even better facilities, with their new 3G sports pitch, renovated STEM wing and modern link building with additional study areas.

MP Andrew Stephenson welcomed visitors and officially ‘cut the ribbon’ on the new facilities. VIP guests included Debbie Corcoran, Head of Employer & Delivery Services at the Skills Funding Agency, Head teachers and STEM contacts from local Pendle schools, College Governors and the contract team responsible for completing the build project, including CRE UK, BES Designs, Barnfield Construction and Ellis Williams Architects.

After a bucks fizz reception, visitors were given a tour of the outstanding new facilities for STEM subjects. In chemistry, they witnessed an exploding custard demonstration, whilst in the biology labs they met the college’s menagerie of animals and learned about the origins of the Earth with a geology display.

Moving on to the physics lab, they enjoyed a demonstration using the college’s Rubenas Tubes. Visitors then visited computing and mathematics workshops to see students and tutors in their classroom setting.

College Principal Amanda Melton said:

“It has been a fantastic month for the college, with the publication of both The Alps and Department for Educations League Tables reaffirming our strong position on a national scale. I am thrilled that we are able to help the young people of Pendle to develop their skills to a high standard, and that as a result, East Lancashire has talented and successful young people to be proud of.

“These new facilities will allow us to provide even better education to our students and I hope they will inspire them to go on to even greater success!”

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson said:

“Everyone in Pendle can be very proud of the achievements of Nelson and Colne College, who continue to outperform all expectations. I was delighted to pay tribute to the governors, staff and students for their tireless efforts and see the fantastic new facilities being used.”

 

 

About the author

Roma Publications