Milton Keynes College Group has submitted its planning application for the new home for the South Central Institute of Technology (SCIoT) at Bletchley.
Staff and students are already hard at work in existing buildings on the College’s Bletchley Campus, but the new structure would provide a purpose-built home for the exciting new digital centre.
The work will see extensive refurbishment and extension of the existing Andrew Peck building on the junction of Sherwood Drive and Selwyn Grove, close to the entrance to Bletchley rail station. Once complete it will provide providing high-quality learning environments, designed to be welcoming and inclusive for all those attending the new institution.
The main entrance will move to the south side of the building for better access to the rest of the campus and nearby transport hubs. The existing building will be connected to the new extension via a glazed wall link. The external frontage would be high quality, befitting the IoT’s status as a landmark learning centre.
The plans have taken into account feedback from a virtual planning consultation, hosted by the College and Tetra Tech in May.
Dr Julie Mills OBE, CEO & Principal of Milton Keynes College Group says, “When considering the plans for the new centre we wanted to be sure it would feel inclusive, sustainable and welcoming. The SCIoT is going to be so vital for the future of the whole region in terms of supplying people trained in those vital tech skills that are so desperately needed by business. I’m really pleased that we’ve found a way to make some areas open to the public including a café and rooms for community use and events. We want everyone to feel that this exciting new place is going to be good for everyone.”
If planning approval is given by Milton Keynes Council it’s hoped work can begin before the end of the year and be fully completed by Spring 2023. More than a thousand learners a year are expected to pass through its doors.
The SCIoT’s been designed by award-winning architects, GSSArchitecture, which has significant experience with education buildings and other public spaces. Partner Anna McTaggart says, “GSSArchitecture is delighted to be working with the College on this exciting project. The concept is to create a welcoming and inclusive technology building that is a distinctive landmark in Bletchley and enhances the existing College Campus, attracting new learners and encouraging business and community involvement. Working closely with the College, careful consideration has been given to the blend of spaces that will encourage collaboration and deliver a learning workplace which is aspirational and fun, reflecting a new approach to agile learning and current trends in ‘tech’ workplace design. The building will be highly sustainable with a strong emphasis on supporting the health and wellbeing of all building users, delivering a truly unique facility that leads the way for educational schemes.”
The development will be the South Central IoT’s flagship site, alongside centres in Oxford and Reading.
Anyone wishing to look at the plans and have their say can go here: View and Comment on Planning Applications – Milton Keynes Council (milton-keynes.gov.uk) using reference 21/0231/FUL
For more information please contact Simon Garrett – simon@virtubrands.com – 07974 566043
Milton Keynes College is proud to be an open and inclusive general Further Education College welcoming learners of all levels and delivering an exceptional educational experience. The College offers a broad range of qualifications with more than 3,000 16 – 18-year-old full-time students studying vocational study programmes, apprenticeships and Higher Education. In addition, the College delivers employability and key skills training programmes to 3,000 people in local community learning centres and is one of the largest providers of Offender Learning in England, working with prisons across the East Midlands, South Central and West Midlands.
