Project 150 May 2014
Following a great deal of planning and consultation with stakeholders, the College is delighted to have received unanimous support from the Eastbourne Borough Council planning committee for its next major development: Project 150.
Project 150 is scheduled for delivery in 2017 when the College will celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding by local people and the then Duke of Devonshire. It is a bold and very carefully considered plan to transform a large part of the College’s central site between the Birley Centre and the iconic buildings that look out on to College Field. Well over an acre of land will be transformed over three and four floors into a new sports complex, dining and social facilities, 31 state-of-the-art classrooms and much more. The College Theatre will also be greatly enhanced. This development will transform the educational experience of girls and boys who attend the College.
Completion of this project will be the culmination of over 20 years of careful strategic planning; Project 150 will enable the College to take a giant step forward. The design is innovative in its approach, rolling more than three major projects into a single build that may be completed in as few as 85 weeks. A significant part of the development should be ready for use a year after building work commences.
Work will now begin on the tendering process, with a view to construction beginning in mid-2015. A critical factor in the timing of the delivery of Project 150 will be the overall cost of the build, which will not be certain until potential contractors have made their assessment. Rising costs in the building sector will have to be taken into account, and the Council of Eastbourne College Charity, which has always been very prudent, will also consider the Charity’s accumulated assets and the outcome from ongoing fundraising. It is important to stress that Council would never set out on such a course unless confident of being able to deliver against the planned outcomes – even if time horizons have to be adjusted.
This development represents a wonderful opportunity for the College and the town of Eastbourne to celebrate the 150th anniversary and build a beacon of excellence that will benefit generations of young people in the 21st century and beyond.
