Postgraduate centre plans for Corsham estate site (From Wiltshire Times)

Postgraduate centre plans for Corsham estate site

12:00am Friday 15th March 2013 in News

Bath Spa University has applied for permission to build a new postgraduate education centre on a dilapidated part of the Hartham Park Estate in Corsham.

A consultation will take place next week to allow members of the public to view the proposals, which could see 600 trainee teachers brought to the Corsham site. A decision is expected by May, and if successful, work could be completed by Spring 2014.

Staff will arrive at the new site from April, with students attending from September. The university already has permission to redevelop farm outbuildings into office facilities, and has now applied to build the new educational site, which would expand on the current training facilities currently in place at Corsham Court.

Six hundred students will be based at Hartham Park, but will not all be on site at the same time. The centre would be used by the PGCE course at the university, and will work with local schools to support teacher training programmes.

Professor Christina Slade, vice-chancellor of Bath Spa University, said: “The university already has a presence in Wiltshire through our Corsham Court campus and this move expands our already excellent postgraduate provision there.”

Peter Antsey, chair of Corsham Town Council, said: “We welcome any opportunity to improve the education on offer in Corsham, but we will have to view the plans when they become available.

“The council will pass its observations when it’s brought before us at the planning meeting, although I imagine lots of the councillors will want to go along to the consultation themselves as well.”

Hartham Park is already used as a business park, with more than 200 people working there across 44 companies.

Jeffrey Thomas, chairman of Hartham Park PLC, said: “Hartham Park now has an excellent opportunity to work with a world-class institution like Bath Spa University.

“We already have full planning permission for the redevelopment of a collection of redundant farm and outbuildings and the PGCE centre is an ideal use for the area.”

Residents and businesses will have a chance to inspect the plans at two public exhibitions at Corsham Community Centre next Friday and Saturday. The plans will be on display from 3pm to 7.30pm on Friday, and 10am-1pm of Saturday.

Feedback can also be submitted via harthampark@communitycomms.co.uk.