Completion of £27m Cheadle College on track for summer

Trafford and Stockport College Group’s 68,000 sq ft educational facility will replace the existing – and larger – teaching building off Cheadle Road, offering space better suited to students’ needs and more energy efficient.

Main contractor Willmott Dixon was appointed to build the three-storey Cheadle College building this summer, securing the contract through the Procure Partnerships Framework. The £27m scheme has topped out, putting it on schedule to open next summer.

The new building will host 15 classrooms, a dining room, learning resource centre, an ICT lab, science labs, and a sensory room.

There would also be a 900 sq ft early years nursery, which would aid students studying for their T levels in health and childcare.

To help with energy efficiency, the Arcadis-designed building includes solar panels, air source heat pumps, and solar-efficient glazing.

Upon completion, the existing 103,300 sq ft college in Cheadle Hulme will be demolished.

Funding for the new school building comes in part from the government, which supplied £20m. The remaining £7m comes from college equity.

Arcadis designed the new Cheadle Campus for the college. Credit: via planning documents

Reflecting on the project, Trafford and Stockport College Group chief executive and principal James Scott said: “Our new campus will provide a transformative educational environment that inspires students, supports innovative teaching methods, and equips learners with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their future careers.”

Scott referred to the building’s topping out as an “exciting milestone in the journey to transform Cheadle College”.

Willmott Dixon director Mike Poole-Sutherland was keen to point out the social value delivery that has been incorporated into the project.

“As we reach this exciting milestone, we’re proud as a locally based company to be working alongside our partners to ensure this transformative building leaves a lasting legacy for this community and college students,” he said.

“So far, we’ve engaged with 800 local students, delivered 30 weeks of T-Level placements, and created three apprenticeships.”

Plans were approved for the project in February. In addition to this new-build facility, the application also provides provision for the refurbishment of the college’s sports hall and outline permission for up to 32 homes.

You can see the application for yourself by searching reference number DC/089265 on Stockport Council’s planning portal. The project team during the planning process included WSP, Abacus, Aran Acoustics, Clancy Consulting, CBO Transport, Tenos, and WML Consulting.