STOCKTON students are being given a sneak preview of the £21m state-of-the-art facilities they will use for the first time when they return to their studies next month.

Local construction company Morgan Ashurst has finished building a £14.25m eco-friendly college and a sports centre for SRC Bede Sixth Form in Billingham and a £6.8m extension to Stockton Riverside College in Thornaby.

Following the merger of Stockton Riverside College and Bede Sixth Form both institutions are now working as a single organisation with full integration across the sites.

David Smailes, Morgan Ashurst area director in Durham. “These buildings really do have the ‘wow factor’ and we are extremely proud to hand over such well-appointed and inspiring facilities.

“As a local company, we know how important these facilities are not just for the students and teachers, but also the wider community.

“Both of the new buildings include a host of green features, which means they can serve the community for the long-term.”

At Stockton Riverside College in Thornaby, Morgan Ashurst has completed construction of a two-storey extension which includes a striking, curved steel feature roof.

It accommodates a construction, engineering and design centre, as well as new hospitality facilities and a dedicated higher education centre, where students can study a huge range of level-four courses, including foundation degrees.

Sujinder Sangha, principal and chief executive of Stockton Riverside College, said the development was “very important” for the future of the college and its students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morgan Ashurst has also completed construction of a high-specification sports centre designed to county badminton standards, which accommodates four multi-use courts, a viewing area, a fitness suite and a climbing wall with ‘cave’ features.

Externally there is a floodlit multi-purpose all-weather pitch and two further grass pitches.

Both campuses feature green and energy-saving measures. At SRC Bede Sixth Form, the main teaching block features two large atria, to provide natural lighting, as well as energy-saving non-mechanical ventilation systems.

It is hoped the developments at both Billingham and Teesdale will allow Stockton Riverside College to cement its place as one of the leading further education colleges in the region.

Article Taken from the Evening Gazette