Varndean College in Brighton reveals more details about campus revamp

It comes as Varndean College unveiled a multi-million-pound proposal to transform parts of its campus.

Split into three phases, the five year “masterplan” would see the creation of a new single storey main entrance with a café, a three-storey teaching block linked to the main building in place of temporary classrooms called ‘the huts’, and a new sports hall to the south that will be available for use by the community and will provide “badly needed” space for exams.

The plans would also see the creation of more social spaces for students and major plans for landscaping that will include the planting of 100 trees, the creation of a foraging corridor for bats, and a network of paths through the site to help connect new and old facilities.

An artist's impression of the new main entrance and new teaching building (Image: ECE Architecture)

Following a public consultation, an outline planning application will be submitted in the autumn, with the hope that once funding has been secured, work can begin in early 2024.

To fund the project Varndean, in Surrenden Road, will apply for government funding, with various opportunities for more bids in the “near future”, including the Post-16 Capacity Fund.

Donna-Marie Janson, principal of Varndean College, said the project aims to improve the facilities and offering for future students, reduce the college’s carbon footprint, reduce running costs and be more suitable for students with mobility issues.

She said many of the buildings are “aging”, including the temporary classrooms that will be replaced with a new teaching building that will be powered by solar panels.

The college was built in 1932 and became Varndean Sixth Form College in 1975.

Varndean was built in 1932 (Image: Google)

“It’s about being forward facing and future proofing the campus by creating good facilities,” she said.

“We want to be a leading college in sustainability.

“We want to make the most of the estate and make it as accessible as possible.

“We’re really excited, it’s taken a long time to get to this point.

“It’s exciting to think about what the college will look like.

“It will be a really special place.

“Staff are really excited; we’ve been waiting a long time for this.

“I don’t see why Brighton shouldn’t have cutting edge architecture at its colleges.”

She said as the work will be carried out in phases students will not be impacted and that the temporary classrooms, once demolished, will be recycled, or sold.

An artist's impression of the new main entrance building (Image: ECE Architecture)

Students Martha Raynor, 17, and Tom Dyer, 19, said they were “excited” by the plans and liked the focus on sustainability.

“It’s exciting that the huts will be replaced with permanent buildings,” said Martha.

“It will be nice to have new buildings.”

“It’s been good that staff and students’ opinions have been taken on,” said Tom.

The college worked with further education specialists ECE Architecture to devise the plans for 12 months.

Managing Director Stuart Eatock said it was “exciting” to work on a local project.

“We wanted to solve the challenges the college has and create the best response to the college’s needs,” he said.

People will have until September 22 to have their say on the plans.

The plans can be viewed via the Varndean College website.