Work is well underway on Northbrook College's new building, pictures show

The pictures, sent in by photographer Eddie Mitchell, show contractors hard at work on the structure of the school’s new Construction Trades Centre, which is expected to open in Autumn next year, and will accommodate construction courses across a variety of disciplines, including specialist workshops for brickwork and carpentry.

Construction courses are currently delivered at the college’s Broadwater campus, according to a Northbrook College spokesperson, but will be relocated to a new centre once work is complete.

Planning permission for the new site was agreed in July, and it is hoped that, once complete, the facility will allow the college to offer construction courses backed by state of the art facilities.

Helena Thomas, principal at Northbrook College, said “We are delighted to have been given the green light for our plans for a specialist construction centre at our West Durrington campus,” when the project was officially greenlit.”

“This marks our commitment to ensuring our students have modern, industry standard facilities which meets the growing demand for construction courses in our region.”

The college is part of Chichester College Group and has worked with ECE architecture to ensure sustainability for the project, incorporating renewable technologies like Air Source heat pumps and solar panels, alongside making plans to increase biodiversity on site.

The work takes place alongside continuing plans to convert the college’s broadwater campus – where construction courses are currently delivered – into a Sussex Police base, with incoming students and existing courses moved to the West Durrington campus. It’s hoped that the closure of the Broadwater Campus will reduce operating costs, improve the student experience by bringing services together, and make improved used of available space.

If plans for the Sussex Police base are approved, it will result in the creation of a hub for police activity in the area, with a public-facing front counter for members of the community, neighbourhood policing teams operating daily from 8am to 11pm, a neighbourhood response team operating 24/7 and all the facilities required and expected to support the proper functioning of a modern police force.