Willmott Dixon is set to play a key role in the next stage of Greater Brighton Metropolitan College’s growth plans after it was chosen for a £14m contract to redevelop its Pelham Street site in Brighton.

The project, procured via Major Works England and Northern Ireland, a part of the Scape National Construction framework, will see the company create a 3,000m2 extension to an existing tower block on the campus to provide the new Centre for Creative and Digital Industries. This will become a key regional training facility for young people and those looking to retrain, while also providing local businesses with a sustainable pipeline of skilled workers.

The extension, on an existing car park, will become a welcoming new ‘shop front’ for the college, set within a large public space that includes secure bike storage for staff, students and visitors.

In addition to studios and classrooms specifically designed for creative and digital specialisms, it delivers updated facilities and improved public access to the college’s other subject provision located on site.

The scheme has been made possible by a £5 million Local Growth Funding Grant awarded by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Coast to Capital, in recognition of the important role the development will have in driving forward the region’s economic growth.

Willmott Dixon is working with a team that includes ECE Architecture and Northgates as QS to deliver a three-storey extension by the end of 2020.

As the project is within the live campus environment, Willmott Dixon will be utilising its considerable experience of live campus working derived from delivering over £350 million of work in the past three years to campuses at colleges and universities that include Birmingham, Swansea, Bournemouth, Kent, Teeside and Kingston.

One key aspect will be to keep impact of the work to a minimum as the college will remain open as usual, with no disruption to current course provision or existing facilities.

Roger Forsdyke, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the Southern Home Counties:

“This further builds on our recent track-record that includes the Kennedy building for the University of Kent, another example of how we successfully work within a live campus site. We are really looking forward to working with the MET team on the next phase of their growth and, in the process, sustain regional companies and jobs with our ‘local pound’ commitment.”