Final blow to modernise King's Lynn college campus

College of West Anglia Principal David Pomfret, outside the college building in King's Lynn.

Plans for a modernised college campus in King's Lynn were dealt a final blow last night as it emerged the land earmarked for new facilities could be used for a new academy and more business space.

The College of West Anglia hoped the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) would fund a £100m 21st-century campus in South Lynn as a centrepiece of the Nar Ouse Regeneration Area (Nora).

But the scheme was put on hold in June, when the LSC said no money would be available until at least 2012.

Now a report to county councillors recommends the NORA site should be used to house a new academy, replacing Park High School - instead of waiting for the college to obtain funding.

“The recent decision by the Learning and Skills Council to delay or halt progress on a number of further education projects has affected the college's relocation and the prospect of this being resolved has diminished to the extent that other options for the site are now being pursued,” it says.

The disclosure effectively means the £100m scheme to relocate the entire Tennyson Avenue main campus will not go ahead - though the report adds there may be scope for a smaller scheme.

COWA principal David Pomfret said: “Government funding for large-scale new campuses is now a thing of the past and we have to accept that our plans to build a new campus on the NORA site in King's Lynn are no longer feasible in their current format. We do not rule out some form of college facility at the NORA site but we will not be re-locating the Tennyson Avenue campus there.”

“We are now in the process of revising our estates strategy to ensure 21st century facilities for our students and staff. It will take some time to formulate a new strategy but we have already started discussions with key partners including King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, Norfolk County Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Fenland District Council, the Learning and Skills Council and the East of England Development Agency.”

North-West Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham said: “I think it's a very sad day for West Norfolk because a lot of people have been hoping that the relocation would take place and in many ways it was going to be a vital part of the redevelopment.

He said that having the new academy and the new college facilities on the new site would have been an ideal solution.

“We've been very badly let down by the government”, he said. “It's all about government ministers letting go of control of their departments and allowing them to make a commitment that they were in no way able to honour.”

“We are facing the worst recession for many years - what we must do is grow our skills base. We have been good in West Norfolk at bucking the trend, but we cannot ignore our skills base. ”

West Norfolk council leader Nick Daubney said: “The government promised the money, they asked the college to be bolder in its' plans and when they did they said they did not have the money.

“We've got quite a good strategy for that area. We are pretty sure the land will still be used in an educational future but the land will also be used for work space. The new academy will have facilities for sixth form.”

Details of the new vision for the land emerged in a report to Norfolk County Council's economic development and cultural services overview and scrutiny panel.

The council is being recommended to invest the £200,000 it had pledged for initial ground work on the land for the college, so the site can be used for something else.

“It is now proposed that the land on the NORA site where the college campus was due to be located should be used for the academy and for employment purposes. It is envisaged that this could generate up to 1,380 jobs,” the report concludes.

County councillors will discuss the report at the Norfolk County Council Economic Development and Cultural Services and Overview and Scrutiny Panel next Thursday.