Pontefract New College to get new teaching facility to replace ‘dilapidated’ temporary classrooms

Wakefield Council has approved plans for the new teaching block at the centre of the campus on Park Lane.

Portable cabins have been used at the college’s H Block for two decades despite the original plan to use them for just three years.

More than 2,000 students attend the college daily during the academic year.

A report to the local authority says: “The building is in constant use and the college cannot function without the valuable rooms it provides.”

“The portacabin building has over the years had a number of repairs undertaken to keep the building in a usable condition.

“But it has now reached the point that repairs are uneconomical and a permanent replacement is now required.”

The plan includes building a permanent structure of a similar size to contain four classrooms.

The report says: “There is a genuine need to replace a dilapidated existing building to ensure the college can continue to provide the high level of education from buildings that are designed to enhance the education experience of students.”

The council approved the application despite the site being in a greenbelt area.

The college said the site has been in continuous educational use since 1910 and was established before the council formed its greenbelt policy boundary.

A planning officer’s report said the new building would “result in limited harm” to the surrounding area.

The officer said: “Significant weight is given to the long-standing nature of the college and the local benefits which include employment, a community asset and the future-proofing of the site.”