Plans submitted for Tameside College at St Petersfield
Date: 02/12/2009
Source: SKV
Ask Developments have submitted plans to Tameside Council for a new Tameside College facility at St Petersfield in Ashton-under-Lyne.
The new facility will provide the College with a ‘Knowledge Mill’ – an enterprise and training resource offering business courses for budding entrepreneurs in the Tameside area. The philosophy is to provide a hub where people and companies can develop their ideas in a business creation unit, with the outcome being a well founded business proposal ready for development into a fully fledged operation.
Growing start-up companies would then have the chance to expand and take flexible space within the proposed business centre on Block K of the St Petersfield masterplan – a similar system to the one already in place and working successfully at One Central Park set within Ask:Goodman’s Central Park business park in East Manchester.
When complete, the 9,245 sq ft Knowledge Mill would complete the circus area of the masterplan. Designed by Aedas Architects, the building will cover three floors and will provide teaching spaces, staff offices and a small cafe with an outdoor seating area. The café will be open to local businesses and the general public as well as college staff and students.
John Hughes, Director at Ask Developments, said; “Tameside College’s Knowledge Mill would be a valuable addition to St Petersfield. As well as providing budding entrepreneurs with the skill set needed to move their business forward, it will also ensure that new and existing companies are retained within Tameside rather relocating elsewhere.”
Jenny Worsdale, Vice Principal at Tameside College, said, “This development will allow the College to build upon the successful work it is already doing in enterprise and innovation and will develop a new generation of entrepreneurs in Tameside. It will help them to establish sustainable businesses that add real value to the economy in Tameside. With a mix of skills development and business start-up support, graduates will see their business ideas turn into reality.
Dominic Manfredi, Director of Aedas Architects, said; 'Aedas are delighted to be associated with the next phase of the success story that is St.Petersfield, and believe that the benefits to the local community that will be felt by the creation of the knowledge mill will be far reaching into the future'
The St Petersfield development will provide 280,000 sq ft (26,012 sq m) of high quality office space with retail and leisure amenity facilities totalling 400,000 sq ft (37,160 sq m).
Once complete, it has the capacity to sustain almost 2,000 jobs and will have attracted private sector capital investment of over £42m.
The scheme is being delivered through a public/private sector partnership, with £14.5m of Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), HCA and ERDF money already committed to the 5.2-hectare (13-acre) site.