Funding freeze puts pay to West Suffolk College plans
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) confirmed this week it had no money this year for West Suffolk College's campus expansion.
The LSC said only 13 schemes nationwide would receive funding this year and that did not include West Suffolk College.
In March, it was revealed the funding body had shelved the 58 million it had promised to help with the rebuilding and expansion at the Bury St Edmunds site.
This had involved creating a new main building, which would link with the academy of dramatic arts, and a landscaped courtyard to replace Australia House, as well as the creation of a construction and training centre in what is currently Edmund House.
The scheme would have provided 20,000sqm of new accommodation at the Risbygate Street college with a total 78 million being spent and work due to start this summer.
The college will now review its masterplan and provide a cut down version of the scheme, probably spending between 16 million and 20 million of its own money with bank loans.
Martyn Wagner, vice-principal, said they were 'very, very, disappointed' at the loss of the funding, which had delayed improvements at the site and meant a return to the drawing board.
"We're reviewing the masterplan to see what we can afford to develop ourselves," he said. "We have access to our own funds, which we can use with bank loans but it will be a honed-down version of what was originally planned."
The college will be making some improvements on site this summer but major building work has been put back.
The LSC had pledged more money than it could commit and several college schemes have now been put on hold as a result.
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Thursday 09 February 2012
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Light snow
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