Flythrough of Brooklands Grove Project
October 2023
Brooklands College and Cala Homes have released a flythrough video showing what the Brooklands Grove project including the new Brooklands College campus will look like following completion.
In May 2023, Brooklands College and Cala submitted a planning application to Elmbridge Borough Council seeking permission to comprehensively upgrade the Brooklands College campus in Weybridge. So far, over 230 people have written to Elmbridge Council supporting the plans.
If approved, this project will:
- Upgrade the teaching facilities to create a college of the future that will inspire students and support their learning and skills and enable the college to better serve the needs of the local community;
- Upgrade the teaching facilities to create a college of the future that will inspire students and support their learning and skills and enable the college to better serve the needs of the local community;
- Deliver a new sports centre and community space for the use of the College and the wider local community;
- Generate revenue for the college to pay off substantial debt owed to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) in order to secure the college’s long-term future;
- Refurbish and renew the site’s significant listed mansion building, returning it to its historic residential use and securing its maintenance and upkeep for the future;
- Provide 320 new homes of which 40% will be affordable homes providing a mix of rented housing, shared ownership and discounted first homes;
- Open up 12 hectares of woodland for newly accessible public use.
The College offers a wide range of courses notably in STEM (Science, technology Engineering and Maths) including engineering, construction, and healthcare – which makes an essential contribution to the local Weybridge economy.
It provides the local community access to specialist training and vocational learning, alternative education for 14–16-year-olds and specialist provision for those with learning difficulties and disabilities.
The College has strong links with local schools and is also renowned for its high-quality provision, helping students with disabilities or special learning needs realise their full potential.
Why is this development needed?
The College has faced major financial challenges in recent years, following an investigation into subcontracting that uncovered a debt of £25m that is due to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). A new leadership team is now in place and has worked up this development plan which will repay the debt, thereby safeguarding the future of the college so it can continue to serve the needs of the community and the local economy into the future.
The College has recently agreed a repayment plan for the debt with the ESFA. This formal agreement confirms the ESFA’s support for the college whilst the transformational re-development is progressed. The agreement allows sufficient time (three years) to secure a planning approval and provides assurance to students considering enrolment at the college. The college re-development scheme seeks the minimum amount of residential development necessary to fund both the transformation of the college and the repayment of the debt.
Without the sale of the excess land for residential development, the college would be in an insolvent position, which could result in its forced closure and the land sold to a developer.
