College in £52m revamp

A multi-million pound revamp is planned for Stourbridge College including the demolition of its Hagley Road campus, it was revealed today.

The college aims to plough £52 million into the redevelopment, which will include bulldozing the Hagley Road site and replacing it with a new £16 million facility expected to be open by 2010.

Bosses also want to build a £23 million visual and performing arts complex on the site of the former Brierley Hill Baths in Cottage Street, which closed down last year. That site could be open by 2009. And a £13 million construction and building environment centre is also to be built as well as part of the major plans.

The college is aiming to fund the building work through the sale of the Longlands, Brook Street, and Church Street sites. However, buyers are yet to be found for the land.

The move will see some A-level courses shifted out of Stourbridge taking students into other areas.

But college spokesman Suhayla Lawson said: "We do not want people to think we are moving out of Stourbridge.

"There is always going to be a Stourbridge College in Stourbridge. We will be keeping people in the town up to date with the developments as they go along because we do not want to do things behind closed doors."

Bosses have denied the plans are anything to do with investigations into a merger between Stourbridge College and Dudley College. The Black Country Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has approached the governing bodies of each college who have agreed to a feasibility study being carried out into a merger, the results of which are due later this year.

Stourbridge College's redevelopment plans are in response to a government call to step up further education provision.

By Ben Lammas