Work is now underway on site for a new Sussex and Surrey Institute of Technology (SSIoT) centre at Crawley College.

This follows the signing of a Section 106 agreement with West Sussex County Council and Crawley Borough Council confirming previously granted planning consent.

The £15million centre is the latest phase of the wider master plan that enables the development of the College Road site and supports the regeneration of the town centre. Property consultancy Vail Williams was appointed by long-standing client Chichester College Group to secure planning permission for the new centre.

The new four-storey facility will provide high-quality learning environments housing specialist construction, engineering and digital ‘learning factories’, designed to be inclusive for all students attending the new institution.

It will sit to the south of the campus, next to the STEM Centre, which opened in 2020 and follows approval in 2022 of a masterplan for the wider site through partnership working, which will regenerate the predominantly 1960s/70s campus. The building is set to open to students in autumn 2025.

Vail Williams worked alongside Bond Bryan Architects, construction consultants Ward Williams Associates and Amiri Construction, in consultation with Crawley Borough Council, in developing the project which helps regenerate the existing campus.

The designs include a number of features to reduce energy consumption, and integrate renewable energy technologies, including the installation of photovoltaic panels to generate electricity and air source heat pumps, as well as a water harnessing and recycling system to reduce water consumption and wastage, and ensure the project is Water Neutral.

Vail Williams Gatwick regional managing partner Suzanne Holloway said:

“We are delighted to have secured such an amazing educational opportunity in this unique, bespoke building which will provide future skills for students from Crawley and the wider region."

“The project team collectively worked really hard to resolve water neutrality, one of the main challenges of the project, successfully delivering an efficient and sustainable development.”

Andrew Green, Chief Executive of the Chichester College Group, said:

“We are grateful to Suzanne Holloway and the team at Vail Williams for their support in getting this vital development across the line. The SSIoT is already underway, with satellite centres opening at sites at our partner organisations, and we are making strides in shaping the technical curriculum in response to the skills needs of our region.

“This new building will give us more opportunities to educate and train people to address the skills shortages in the engineering, construction and IT industries."

“It is also another step forward in our long-term commitment to developing Crawley College, investing in the modernisation of our facilities, with the aim to inspire, drive and support the career aspirations of young people in our local area.”

Chichester College Group is the largest provider of further education in West Sussex and Brighton & Hove with seven colleges and 2,600 staff educating and training around 25,000 full and part time students every year.

IoTs form a key part of the Government’s policy to increase higher technical education across the country, as it aims to encourage more people to continue studying as well as attracting people of all ages to upskill or retrain.

In particular, they are designed to spearhead the delivery of higher technical education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects, bring colleges and universities together with employers to equip local economies with a skilled workforce.

Andrew added: ““The college group is committed to reducing our carbon footprint and it was important to us that our new building helps us on our journey towards NetZero."

“We are training our students in new sustainable technologies, and it’s only right that our new buildings are developed using these technologies as well – helping us to create a more sustainable campus for our students to enjoy for years to come.”

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