PICTURES: New look for Worthing College

An outline application to develop the site with the new college and 124 homes has been approved by Worthing Council's development control committee.

Click here to see a larger version of the artist's impression of the new college building.

Students will continue to use the old building until the new college is completed in the middle of the campus.

Improved sports facilities will be provided to the east, and the old college will be demolished to make way for flats.

Cost of the new college is expected to total between 35million and 40million, and the overall development will mean a major difference to views from the Shaftesbury Avenue road ramp heading south up to Durrington railway bridge.

The height of flats next to the road will vary from three to six storeys, matching the scale of commercial buildings west of Shaftesbury Avenue.

Click here to see a larger version of the artist's impression of the flats.

Field Place area residents and traders much prefer this plan to previous proposals for an Asda superstore on the site, which was vigorously opposed.

Also welcome is the fact the roundabout by Strand Parade will remain unchanged and unsignalled.

John Livermore, planning committee chairman, said: "I am delighted that my committee has approved two new colleges in the past two weeks '“ Northbrook and Worthing '“ and we hope that building work will start as quickly as possible."

Worthing College plans to finance 9million of the cost from borrowing and the sale of land for homes, 30 per cent of which are planned to be affordable housing.

The remainder would come via a non-repayable grant from the government's Learning and Skills Council.

Lesley May, the college's assistant principal for finance and estates, said yesterday : "We are absolutely delighted with the outcome of what was a very positive meeting.

"It could not have gone better."