Buckinghamshire College Group - High Wycombe New Build

Introduction & Overview

Following the creation of Buckinghamshire College Group we worked with the College to compete a detailed analysis of a number of strategic options for the location of the provision in the South of the County and the subsequent development of an outline business case. We concluded that a new consolidated, purpose-built single provision for the South of the County to be the optimal solution.  High Wycombe is the major population centre in the south of the County and locating the new College in the Town Centre will enable the college to grow its further and higher education offering and provide a learning environment that reflects the needs of businesses in the local economy.  

 After the preferred option was agreed, an assessment of three alternative development sites was undertaken with two sites subject to detailed design testing through a Design Approach Competition. Following this thorough site evaluation process, a final site was selected in the town centre at Oxford Road in High Wycombe as a result of its central and sustainable location and position on a prominent corner plot adjacent to a popular traffic route. Due to the limited footprint of the Oxford Road site and demand for spaces on the ground floor, an additional smaller site was chosen on Brook Street, which is less than a 200m walk from the proposed new campus and will accommodate the college’s construction and motor vehicle specialist workshops.  

We have supported the College through the land sale process of the two existing sites which we achieved an off-market disposal to a local developer. Through the contract negotiations, we also secured staged payments with vacant possession being provided once the new College site is complete. 

To allow the project to fully funded we also wrote and submitted a Further Education Capital Transformation Fund bid on behalf of the College in which we secured over £19m of funding.  

Working along side Rock Townsend (architects) and the wider design team, the proposals were developed to RIBA Stage 3a with planning submitted in early summer 2023 and a resolution to grant permission was agreed in January 2023. During the planning process the design team developed the designs to RIBA Stage 3b. In the Spring and Summer of 2023 we completed further value engineering design work to align costs and budget and procured a demolition contractor to remove existing buildings on site prior to a main contractor being appointed later in 2023 to complete the building works. 

Key Facts

Heading #1
Start on site
Spring 2024
Completion date
Winter 2025
New Build Area (m²)
8,472m²
Total Project Budget
£50m
Funder
DfE FECTF & Land Disposal
Architects
Rock Townsend
Structural Consultant
Scott White & Hookins
M&E Consultant
Introba
Cost Consultants
G&T
Project Manager, Employer’s Agent, Bid Writers
PMc
Main Contractor
TBC

Project Team

Design Access Statements

Design Accsess Statement: Part 1
Design Accsess Statement: Part 2