Plans to relocate Bridgend College to the heart of the town centre have made significant progress with the demolition of the old police station now being close to completion.
The demolition contractors are now entering the final stages of the works, which are due to be completed in the coming weeks.
The site at Cheapside, forms a key part of the council’s regeneration plans for the town centre and represents an investment of around £60 million into the skills and training of both young people and members of the community who need opportunities to retrain and gain valuable employability skills.
The college plan to create a net-zero carbon building, with 21st century learning and teaching facilities for post-16 further and higher education in Bridgend, with community benefits including a 200-seat theatre space, a coffee shop and flexible meeting spaces.
The investment, which is part funded by Welsh Government’s Sustainable Communities for Learning programme, will see the site leased to Bridgend College, enabling its relocation from the existing Cowbridge Road site.
The demolition of the old police station represents a key milestone in our town centre masterplan and it’s really pleasing to see the continued progression of the plans for the relocation of the college.
The new campus will play a key role in increasing town centre footfall as many students will visit the town centre during their lunch breaks or before and after they arrive for their studies. This will provide a new and varied market for many of our town centre businesses to tap into.
The building will also be environmentally friendly and will include various state of the art facilities which will bring many benefits to the county borough as whole.
Councillor Rhys Goode, Cabinet Member for Housing, Planning and Regeneration
