GROUND has been broken on a building that will be a ‘gamechanger’ for education in Bournemouth.
The new building at Bournemouth and Poole College’s Lansdowne campus will have ‘amazing facilities’ for a range of courses, the college principal, Phil Sayles, said.
Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, March 20, he said: “The building is going to be a gamechanger for technical education in Bournemouth.
“It’s huge, it's long, it's four storeys high.
“It will have digital, it will have media, it will have hair and beauty, we will have a brand-new restaurant for our hospitality students, facing on to the road.
“Our hospitality students work for some of the best hotels in the country, like the Ritz and the Dorchester.
“So I like to think of that restaurant as it will actually be a nursery for future Michelin stars. That is what we’re building here.
“When students walk into that building, they will feel that real care, attention and money has been put into them to give them an amazing learning environment.”
The principal said that hours of planning and negotiating had gone into the building, since the Department for Education told him that the college would be one of 16 nationwide to get investment to improve older buildings.
“For Bournemouth, this will be the biggest public sector investment in the town centre for many years,” Mr Sayles said.
“I think it will become a beacon of learning, something that will inspire people, something that will enable people to move into productive work, to improve their careers, to do all the things that our economy needs, that our town needs.
“With the building, and with the concurrent heritage repairs to the clock tower building, this campus will be future proofed until 2100.
“That’s an amazing thing for a town to have.”
The principal thanked his colleagues, the DfE, the council, Meyrick Estates and Kier for their help on the project.
Bournemouth mayor Cllr Anne Filer was also at the ceremony.
She said: “I am just in awe of this project, it is fantastic.
“This is a massive investment, and on behalf of Bournemouth I would like to thank you all for your vision, all of you.”
Demolition at the site is complete, with construction work commencing following the ceremony.
The building is planned to be completed by 2026.
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