Bridge College gets the green light

Plans for the innovative education facility in Openshaw, East Manchester, have been approved by Manchester City Council. The project, submitted by The Manchester College and Bridge College, will see the creation of a unique centre of expertise for the further education of students with learning difficulties, disabilities and complex needs from September 2012.

The proposed site for the state of the art campus, which will be shared by students from both colleges, is that of the former Rolls Royce site on Pottery Lane. The development will provide a purpose built independent specialist college providing specialist teaching and learning for disabled young people and adults. The new college will include a centre of excellence for learning support including speech and language, physio, hydro and occupational therapies. The planned site will feature a learning hub for the development of social skills and independence, and an area of the site will be dedicated to promoting horticulture in an urban setting.

The partnership is being led by The Manchester College, the largest establishment of its kind in the UK, and Bridge College, a specialist further education college for young people aged 16 to 25 with complex needs, disabilities, learning difficulties and autism. Bridge College which is currently located in Stockport, is operated by North West charity, the Together Trust.

“The planning approval is great news for the project and means we’re one step closer to bringing first class educational facilities to East Manchester and the surrounding areas,” said David Marriott, chief executive of the Together Trust. “By sharing knowledge and expertise, The Manchester College and Bridge College have created a project that will give regional and local residents with complex needs access to some of the best, most innovative services in the UK.”

Urban regeneration company, New East Manchester delivered the acquisition and remediation of the site through a £3.6 million grant from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) awarded in May 2009. Building work on the site is scheduled to commence in late July 2011.