News / SIC backs college extension
A £4.5 MILLION extension to Shetland College could be open to students as soon as autumn next year after councillors yesterday (Wednesday) enthusiastically supported the project.
The two storey extension to the campus at Gremista will provide 1,300 square metres of much needed extra space to the busy education facility.
The college’s board of management had previously managed to secure £1.8 million of European funding towards the project.
Yesterday councillors agreed to find £2.5 million to put into the project after hearing that the college could contribute £200,000 from its own resources.
A meeting of the full council heard that Shetland College could lose the grant allocation if the building was not completed by the end of next year.
After some discussion and a vote, councillors agreed to approve £2.513 million of funding to be found in the council’s capital programme.
The chairman of the college’s board of management, councillor Andrew Hughson, said he was delighted with the unanimous support for the project.
He said he hoped that building work could be started at the beginning of next year with a completion date ideally to coincide with the start of the new term later in 2011.
“The college is very, very important for the future of Shetland in helping keep the population and attracting people to stay in Shetland.
“The director of the college, George Smith, will now be in touch with the ERDF funders to confirm that the funding from the council is now in place, so that we comply with their legislation.
“This year we will be involved in the design of the building, and hopefully build next year.”
A feasibility study on the extension was prepared by local architects Redman & Sutherland.
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