Published at 15:50, Wednesday, 01 December 2010

A £1.2m extension will be built at Lakes College West Cumbria to cater for teenagers with special needs and disabilities.

The college submitted a planning application to Allerdale Council at the beginning of October for the ambitious plans.

The authority gave the green light to the plans for the new hub at the end of last week. It will see a lecture theatre, performance room and dedicated multi-media space being built.

The extension, designed for youngsters aged between 14 and 19-years-old with special educational needs (SEN), is not expected to generate any increase in the numbers of people using the college, as the facility is primarily for use by existing students, staff and visitors who already attend the site.

It will be built on a grassed area which is to the west of the main college building and will be open between 8am and 10pm on Monday to Fridays and between 8am and 5pm on Saturday, Sundays and bank holidays.

The Lillyhall college worked with Cumbria County Council to secure a £1m grant from a national fund aimed at improving facilities and access to education for those with special education needs.

The remaining £225,000 is coming from a renewal grant from the Skills Funding Agency, the national body responsible for funding most post-16 education.

The development will allow the college to expand its successful programme with local secondary schools, in which pupils as young as 14 go to the campus once a week to study vocational areas such as motor mechanics, catering and hair and beauty.

It is hoped the development will be built and ready to open next September.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk