New £27million campus reaches major milestone

The “cutting edge” facility is taking shape

A new multi-million college campus in Stockport has taken a major step forward. Work began on new facilities for students at Cheadle College earlier this year.

Set over two and three-storeys, the “cutting-edge” new college building at their site on Cheadlle Road in Cheadle Hulme will have dedicated areas for students studying for both A-Levels and T-Levels. This will include a clinicall ward, science laboratories, and a virtual nursery.

There will also be a sepcialist area for students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and new garden and sports facilities. Whilst it will boast state-of-the-art energy-efficient features such as photovoltaic panels, air source heat pumps, solar-efficient glazing, and lighting systems.

The Trafford and Stockport College Group, of which Cheadle College is part, received £20m of government funding for the project and is investing another £7m of its own money.

The project is set to be finished next summer with students moving in ahead of the new academic year. Their “dated” current building, which was mostly built in the 1950s, will then be demolished.

This week, the college and building contractor Willmott Dixon celebrated ‘opping out’ – the term for a project reaching its highest point. Bosses say it signified them reaching a “crucial point” in the £27 million project.

A ceremony was held attended by a number of dignatries, including six photography students who have been tasked with documenting the project and whose work will form part of a display in the new building when it opens.

James Scott, the college group’s Principal and CEO said: “This is an exciting milestone in the journey to transform Cheadle College.

The topping-out ceremony celebrates not only the completion of the building’s structure but also the collaborative efforts of everyone involved in bringing this vision to life.

Our new campus will provide a transformative educational environment that inspires students, supports innovative teaching methods, and equips learners with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their future careers.”