Itchen College £3m expansion plans given green light

A two-storey teaching block at Itchen College in Middle Road, Sholing, will provide students with seven new classrooms and an extra sports hall.

The £3m scheme will enable the campus to replace five temporary classrooms that are said to be in a "very poor" condition.

Itchen College is set to gain a new two-storey teaching block containing seven classrooms and a sports hall (Image: Architecture PLB)

The planning application said: "The original 1920s buildings have been progressively augmented. However, some areas are relatively inefficient, and space to expand is limited. 

"With the removal of the temporary classrooms, the car park will be reconfigured to provide additional spaces. Over time, landscaping will mature to provide a softer edge to the campus."

READ MORE: Itchen College unveils £3m plan to build new sports hall and extra classrooms

The application said the new teaching block would improve the quality of accommodation and the range of courses available.

It added: "The block would not result in an increase in staff or student numbers, but rather it would improve the college’s offering and suite of appropriate accommodation for its current students.

"The provision of the new building will enable the removal of five temporary classrooms.

"The classrooms are in very poor condition, nearing their end of life. They are very inefficient in terms of their energy use and carbon consumption."

Itchen College has been given the go-ahead to build a new teaching block containing a sports hall and seven new classrooms (Image: Newsquest.)

In a letter to Southampton City Council, Sport England said it normally opposed any application that would impact a playing field.

But it added: "Having considered the proposed location, Sport England considers that efforts have been made to minimise the impact of the new building on the playing field."

READ MORE: Plans to expand Itchen College are given the go-ahead

The government-funded scheme has now been approved by the council, subject to conditions.

A council report said the scale of the proposed new building was similar to that of existing structures at the college. The construction materials used would mimic and blend in with the existing sports hall.

Southampton City Council has approved plans to build seven new classrooms and an extra sports hall at Itchen College (Image: Newsquest.)

The report said the number of vehicle movements would rise, but not by enough to warrant a refusal of the application.

"Consideration has been given to the siting, scale, and appearance of the development to ensure it provides a facility that minimises its impact on existing residents.

"Whilst open space and mature trees will be lost, the diversity of sporting offer at the site will improve."

College principal Alex Scott has said: "The new building will allow us to replace end-of-life temporary accommodation with seven classrooms as well as a multi-purpose space.

"It will also mean we can reinstate the parking spaces the temporary buildings were placed on, benefiting staff, students, and our neighbours."