B&E Boys are pleased to announce that work has now been completed at Oldham College ahead of schedule.
Oldham College has a rich history. It was established in 1893 following a donation from the Platt family – famous as textile machinery manufacturers in the town. The original site of the School of Art and Science was in the town centre, situated on the junction of Ashcroft Street and the former Chapel Street. Town Square Shopping Centre now occupies the site.
The current site of the college is on Rochdale Road. Since 2012, around £45million has been invested in extensive upgrades and replacement of facilities. The college, rated ‘Good’ in all areas by OFSTED in its latest inspection, is committed to delivering an extensive range of courses to meet the needs of the local community. These include vocational courses, T Levels, Apprenticeships, adult learning, and university courses.
The new multi-million-pound centre for students to learn building and trade skills is the exciting next stage of the college’s redevelopment. The new project included the creation of a brand-new two-storey Construction Skills Centre. It will see the number of students rise by more than 250. Additionally, it will increase the number of apprenticeships that Oldham College can offer. The development included the demolition of two buildings on the college campus which are no longer viable for teaching use. The new 2,345sq m purpose-built teaching building replaced an existing car park situated close to the eastern perimeter of the site. It features large practical areas and workshops, six classrooms, and an IT room. Designed with the teaching of technical trades, it includes facilities for practical plumbing and electrical work. Furthermore, flexible build spaces, testing areas, mobile workbenches and both breakout and showcase spaces are included in the design.
The total project costs are almost £9m. More than two-thirds of this comes from funding provided by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority through a £6.95m grant. The project includes creating replacement parking on the western edge of the site to compensate for the loss of existing car parking spaces due to the new development.
The works comprised of demolitions to the existing building and the construction of a new entrance lobby; roof alterations with insulation to form a warm roof system; new internal walls, doors and screens; new wall, floor and ceiling finishes; steel work including temporary works design new mechanical and electrical installations including a new lift installation; and a new kitchen. The completed project at Oldham College will provide greatly improved training opportunities and will clearly benefit the wider community as well as college learners.
This project continues B&E Boys’ proud record of working on large-scale projects in the education sector. Past projects are numerous and include work on Cedars School in Blackburn and Manchester Communication Academy. Full details of completed projects in the education sector can be found on the website.