Consent secured for college campus redevelopment

An application to demolish the main building of Harrogate College and construct a £22m hub to train students in green technology has been approved.

The college is part of the Luminate Education Group and caters to full and part-time students, offering adult education and apprenticeships. Work on its new hub is due to be finished by July 2025.

Principal of Harrogate College, Danny Wild, said: “Gaining confirmation that we can proceed is great news for the college, the town and the county.

“This £22m redevelopment will enable us to upgrade our campus to enhance our industry-standard training facilities, including an electric vehicle workshop, mock hospital ward, and a renewable energy technology hub.

“It will help us provide even more targeted support for local employers by tailoring our training to produce the skilled workers they need to plug gaps and prosper.

“The main building phase of our project is set to  be completed for the 2025-26 academic year and we look forward to welcoming students, parents and guests  into our new campus.

“To minimise any impact in the local area we are instructing staff not to drive to college but to switch to public transport instead, and we will be covering the parking costs of all colleagues who do so.

“We will also be employing staff to patrol the local area to ensure things go smoothly, and disruption is kept to a minimum, during the construction.

“We’ll be formalising those details, and other arrangements including those for our contractors, as part of the conditions attached to the planning permission.”