South Thames College’s £70m New Building Opened

Minister cuts ribbon on Wandsworth High Street campus

The grand opening of South Thames College’s £70m new building took place at the Wandsworth High Street campus on Tuesday 20th of October.

Many local MPs and councillors attended to show their support including Sadiq Khan MP, Justine Greening MP, Martin Linton MP, Stephen Hammond MP and Wandsworth Councillors Ravi Govindia, Kathy Tracey, Stuart Thom and Leslie McDonnell.

Sue Rimmer, Principal of South Thames College opened the reception with Kevin Brennan MP, Minister for Further Education, unveiling the plaque and officially opening the building saying "I'm pleased to be here today to open South Thames College’s new, state-of-the-art building. New college facilities improve the lives of learners, regenerate communities and inspire local people to learn and develop. This new modern campus will equip those in the Wandsworth area with the skills they need to get work and get on at work."

The project comprised the construction of 16,476m2 of flexible teaching space on the Wandsworth High Street campus. The brand new facilities for learners include: a learning resource centre spanning three levels, industry standard hair and beauty salons, a Sport England standard sports hall, gym and aerobics area, an enrichment room and cafeteria facilities, forensic science and biology labs, Skills for Life and language teaching rooms and IT facilities.

The Learning and Skills Council provided more than £28m in support of this project. Geoff Russell, LSC Chief Executive, said “South Thames College has successfully managed a very challenging building project, particularly with the limited access due to its location. The College has created wonderful new facilities for the south London area, which will benefit learners and employers for many years.”

The College was one of the ‘lucky 13’ to receive funding for a second phase of redevelopment, the refurbishment of the Grade 2 listed building facing Wandsworth High Street, which is now underway and due to open in 2010.

October 22, 2009