Stockport College moves forward with fresh contractor

Stockport College has appointed Seddon to take forward the £24m rebuild of its campus, following the departure of contractor Wates last year.

Stockport College, part of Trafford College Group, gained planning consent for the scheme in 2018, and sold a three-acre chunk of its campus to Investar in April, in order to fund the redevelopment. Investar put in its planning application last month for the mixed-use project around Greek Street.

Wates was previously set to deliver the college project, having been appointed through the North West Construction Hub in 2018. The college decided to re-procure the scheme after a disagreement with Wates over the project’s cost.

A large amount of demolition has already progressed on the site in order to enable the existing campus to be completely redesigned. 

The project includes a colonnade fronting the reception and performing arts building to create a feature entrance, while a two-storey glazed internal ‘street’ will provide a walkway and relaxation area connecting the reception to the college’s art workshops and the Lyme Centre.

Overall, around 22,000 sq ft of redundant floorspace will be demolished, while around 11,000 sq ft of new floorspace will be added, primarily in the new Street building. Refurbishment projects to be carried out include the Lyme Centre’s performing arts building, while the dining hall and kitchens will be relocated to the ground floor of the Lyme Tower with a café.

The professional team includes architect Project3, planner WSP, Planit-IE, Rider Levett Bucknall, Hydrock, and CBO Transport.

The college and Seddon have been contacted for comment.