Demolition work starts on new facility at Carlisle College
Monday will see preparation work begin for the demolition of two buildings at Carlisle College.
The old buildings, from the 1950s and 1960s, are to be brought down from the further education college's site to allow room for a new two-storey structure. The site, on Strand Road and Compton Street, is to be developed as part of a £9 million project which will see a new teaching facility be constructed.
The demolition work marks the beginnings of a project that has faced several setbacks. In 2009 a far more ambitious redevelopment plan, costing £30 million, was dropped after there were issues securing funding with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). This new, smaller, plan has been funded by support from the Northwest Regional Development Agency and Cumbria County Council.
The new development will include a catering kitchen together with training restaurant, as well as salons for beauty students. A tender process for the project attracted seven bids, with Kier Construction being selected as the favoured contractor.
The initial demolition stage of the project, involving stripping the old buildings of wiring and plumbing before the actual demolition contractors are brought in, is expected to take four weeks to complete.
