Multi-million pound revamp for Lancashire college

Work to create a new £3m facility at a Lancashire college has moved a step forward.

Runshaw College has appointed Collinson Construction to start work on a new block of 12 classrooms at the campus off Langdale Road, Leyland in the middle of February.

The 1,000sq m facility will be spread over two storeys and built with a stone effect finish wall in character with its surroundings.

It has been designed to be energy efficient and sustainable with construction set to take eight months and be completed in October 2022.

Named the Buttermere block, the building continues the Runshaw tradition of naming buildings after parts of the Lake District as a nod to the ancient woodland its campus is built within.

Clare Russell, principal and CEO at Runshaw College, said: “We are really proud of our impressive college campus and we constantly invest in our estate to ensure we provide high-quality learning and social spaces, resourced with industry standard equipment and technology.

“Buttermere will meet the needs of our students both now and in the future, ensuring that our beautiful college campus, facilities and resources continue to be outstanding.”

Robert Duxbury, managing director of Catterall-based Collinson Construction, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be working in partnership with Runshaw College, as well as the professional teams at Day Architectural, Curtins and Magnitude Quantity Surveyors to expand the college’s site provision of first-class teaching space.

“This fantastically designed state-of-the-art space will ensure students are able to gain the academic skills they need to succeed in an outstanding environment. The building will serve the college and its students for many years to come.”