The Closure of Northbrook College's Campus in Broadwater, Worthing

Key Highlights :

1. A college campus will close as part of a new merger.

2. Plans have been announced to combine Northbrook College’s campus in Broadwater, Worthing, with its West Durrington site in two years’ time.

3. Andrew Green, chief executive of the Chichester College Group which runs the college, said the decision was made due to soaring costs and the “inefficiency” of having three large sites in the town.

4. The Broadwater site will most likely be sold.

5. “Colleges up and down the country have faced more than a decade of cuts and increased costs, as well as the impact of rising inflation and soaring energy bills,” he said.

     It has been announced that Northbrook College’s campus in Broadwater, Worthing, is set to close as part of a new merger. Plans have been revealed to combine the college’s Broadwater campus with its West Durrington site over the next two years. Andrew Green, the chief executive of the Chichester College Group which runs the college, said that the decision was made due to the soaring costs and the “inefficiency” of having three large sites in the same town. Mr Green said that the Broadwater site will most likely be sold.

     The college has faced more than a decade of cuts and increased costs, as well as the impact of rising inflation and soaring energy bills. This has meant that the college, like all businesses, has had to make decisions that maximise their assets and rationalise their space while still offering local students the opportunity to access high quality courses and learning opportunities.

     The proposal to close the Broadwater campus means that courses which are currently delivered there will, within the next two years, be delivered at other Chichester College Group campus sites in the Worthing area, including the West Durrington campus and Worthing College.

     The college has undertaken a detailed assessment of all three Worthing-based campuses, looking at the courses being delivered, the buildings and facilities, cost and operational impact of relocation to another site, potential cost savings that can be achieved and the potential for site values and potential for sale. It is not practical to keep all three sites open long-term, and so the intention is to put the Broadwater site on the market for sale. The proceeds from the sale will be invested into the Worthing-based college sites, providing better facilities for young people, apprentices and adults in the local area.

     The closure of the Broadwater campus has been met with some anger from students, who have been left feeling “devastated” by the decision. However, the college has said that the decision was made with the best interests of the students in mind, and that the re-investment into the other sites will provide them with better facilities in which to study and develop their skills.

Continue Reading at Source : theargus