Approval for Trafford College plans
Trafford College has been granted planning consent for a £8.5m project to create new science, technology and engineering facilities in Stretford.
The college will use the new base to become a hub for the National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies and promote expertise in solar power, heat pumps and water harvesting and other technologies across the Trafford area.
The plans include a new technology centre and refurbishment of the existing outbuildings to provide greater operational efficiency as well as creating a more cohesive experience for students.
Planning consents for residential development on the college, Moss Road campus and surplus land at Stamford Brook Road, Altrincham, were also gained. Up to 63 new homes at Moss Road and up to 70 homes at Stamford Brook Road were approved by Trafford Council following extensive pre-application consultation by Indigo Planning.
Doug Hann, director of Indigo Planning, said: "Gaining consent was crucial to achieving the college's accommodation strategy. Indigo consulted with the local Councillors and public to provide a planning strategy to deliver the best developments. The new campus will be a major improvement for Trafford residents and particularly help the northern part of the borough where regeneration is a priority."
Work on the new Talbot Road campus will begin in summer 2012 and is expected to be complete in 2013. The sale of the Moss Road site will follow when the works are complete and all students have been relocated to the new campus.
The project team also includes Roger Stephenson Architects; engineering design and building surveying consultancy Clancy Consulting; surveyors Guest Garsden, and transport consultancy Ashley Helme Associates.