£13m Leeds Building College Campus Officially Open

LEEDS COLLEGE of Building has officially opened phase two of the South Bank Campus, a £13-million development.

Representatives from Leeds College of Building, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (the LEP), Clugston Construction, and the Lord Mayor of Leeds attended the opening ceremony.

Leeds College of Building, the UK’s only specialist further education construction college, received an £11.9m investment from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (the LEP), delivered in partnership with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, through the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of government investment to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.

Building Design

Designed by Fuse, the phase-two development sits in a prominent position alongside the existing College building (also designed by Fuse and opened in 2015 between Cudbear Street and Black Bull Street). The new state-of-the-art 5,200 square metre, four-storey building boasts a range of classrooms, workshops and a dynamic
central atrium, which acts as the building’s main communal and circulation space.

A large proportion of Leeds College of Building’s 6,000 students will attend the two South Bank sites, with the remainder using the College’s North Street Campus (which benefitted from £1-million of the funding for refurbishment and the relocation of one of the largest Painting & Decorating training facilities of its kind in the UK).

College Campus Officially Open

Cllr Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority board member, said: “It is fantastic news that phase two of the Leeds College of Building South Bank Campus redevelopment is now officially open. We want to ensure that the facilities for students in Leeds are of the highest possible standard.

“This new campus certainly meets these criteria and will offer a wonderful environment in which students can learn the skills they need to prosper in the construction industry.”

Derek Whitehead, LCB Principal

Derek Whitehead, Principal at Leeds College of Building, explained: “We’re delighted to officially open phase two of the newly named South Bank Campus.

“The building will be the new home for a range of traditional courses, including mechanical and electrical, plumbing and heating programmes, as well as enabling us to provide more training in the ever-expanding area of BIM technology. The building will also offer purpose-designed classrooms for the College’s Higher Education courses.”