Work starts on £6m Preston college extension
J Greenwood Builders is anticipating a January 2025 completion for the 13,000 sq ft St Catherine Building, which will house Cardinal Newman College’s expanding media and art departments.
The Manchester-based contractor has started construction on the three-storey teaching facility at the Preston college, situated off Lark Hill Road.
Ellis Williams Architects designed the £6m centre, which will feature a TV studio, fully-equipped photo studio, and dedicated graphics, art, and media rooms alongside additional classrooms with dedicated open learning areas.
In line with the Department for Education’s specification of net zero in operation, the St Catherine Building has been designed to greatly reduce the amount of energy used to operate and maintain the centre.
The facility is being built on the site of the car park that formerly served the St James Building. The St James Building is currently occupied by the college’s art and design department, which is short of space and split across the wider campus.
This project will enable the co-location of all the creative industries into a single part of the site and partly replaces the St James side extension that was approved in February 2021.
The St James extension is one of two developments that Cardinal Newman College has been granted planning permission for in the last two years – the other being an extension to the school’s St Cecelia Building.
Both of these schemes are unlikely to proceed due to high costs, therefore this development is of “critical importance” in meeting future demand, according to a planning statement.
A spokesperson for the college said: “The building will be a fabulous addition to the college’s already excellent facilities, providing additional classrooms and studio spaces for our creative subjects, including media, photography and graphic design.
“We are also really proud that this new build will also support the college’s carbon commitment, whilst providing state-of-the-art facilities for our students to work and learn in.”
Adrian Rooney, managing director of J Greenwood Builders, added: “The challenging logistics and highly technical design of the building are something our experienced team, supported by talented designers and our long-established and trusted supply chain, look forward to progressing.”
J Greenwood Builders has extensive experience of delivering schemes for the education sector, having completed projects at Xaverian College and Loreto College in Manchester, to name just a few.
In addition to J Greenwood and William Ellis, the project team for the £6m scheme includes E3 Cube, Appleyard & Trew, WML Consulting, and Crookes Walker Consulting.
To learn more about the £6m project, search for application number 06/2022/0780 on Preston City Council’s planning portal.
