A MUSIC college and its students have been given a 12-month reprieve to remain in the city.

Access to Music in Brighton announced earlier this month that it was set to leave Brighton site at the end of the academic year because it’s current home was set to be bulldozed.

But following a well-supported campaign to save the college, bosses have announced that it will continue at Enterprise Point for at least 12 more months.

And landowners are working on a redesign of existing regeneration plans in a bid to try and secure the college’s long-term future.

The music college company, which has facilities in nine other English towns and cities including London, Manchester and Bristol, will remain at the site in Melbourne Street until at least July 2017.

The college said the extension will give students the chance to study for another year and allow new alumni joining this September 2016 to complete a one year programme of study.

College bosses said that provision will also be put in place for courses to be continued at other colleges and universities in the city if 2017 does prove to be their last year.

The college, which is currently used by 140 students in Brighton, offers music and media courses for school leavers and its alumni nationally includes Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora and Jess Glynne.

Planning permission currently exists for the demolition of the southern wing of Enterprise Point and the construction of a seven storey office tower and a five-storey apartment block.

Ross Barbour, managing director of Cross Stone Properties, said his Crowborough-based firm were preparing to submit a new planning application for the site in the next three to four months.

He said the majority of the site’s half a dozen had found premises to relocate to but the option was open for the remaining one or two businesses to stay a little longer than the original July deadline.

Mr Barbour added: “When we drew up the original plans we didn’t appreciate how difficult it would be for them to find somewhere else.

“But it will be quite challenging for us financially and we can’t make any promises but we are going to see if we can include space for Access to Music in the new plans.

“We appreciate there is quite a strength of feeling towards Access to Music.”

John Taylor, joint managing director at Access to Music, said: “We are grateful to our landlords, to students and parents, and to our staff for their support and assistance in enabling us to reach this agreement.

"The extension will give those students who want to study with us for another year the opportunity to do so, and those who applied to join us in September 2016 the opportunity to complete a one year programme of study with us.”