Barnet and Southgate College celebrates Topping Out of New Campus
The new Barnet and Southgate College Colindale Campus, a focal point in the re-generation of Grahame Park, today celebrated a significant milestone in the project, with a traditional Topping Out ceremony.
Held on 22 October 2015, the Topping Out ceremony marking Osborne reaching the highest point of the building or the laying of the final brick, was attended by Chairman Andrew Osborne, Osborne Managing Director, Construction, John Craig, Barnet Mayor Mark Shooter and senior representatives from Barnet College including Chair of the Board of Governors, Anne Zinkin and Principle and Chief Executive David Byrne.
The £14million, five storey campus building is located within a thriving area of Colindale, which is currently undergoing a major re-generation scheme, with the campus being a focal point of the re-generation.
David Byrne, Principal of Barnet and Southgate College said: “Today’s ceremony marks an important milestone to us opening the doors to our brand new Colindale campus in September 2016. We’re very proud of securing an investment that creates an outstanding College asset in the heart of this major regeneration development. This is great news not only for our students, but for the community as a whole. The move may only be a short distance from our old campus, but it’s a world away in terms of the facilities we have and the opportunities it offers for the future of our learners.”
Councillor Daniel Thomas, Chairman of the Assets, Regeneration and Growth Committee, said: “The new campus will form an important focal point in the new re-generation scheme on Grahame Park. I am delighted to see work really progressing on the campus which will offer fantastic training and employment opportunities to residents from all over the borough.
The new Colindale Campus offers contemporary educational facilities within a new flexible purpose-built building that showcases education and gives the College a brand new identity in the local area.”
John Craig, Osborne Managing Director, Construction, said: “I’m really pleased that we have now reached the highest point in the project, a significant and traditional milestone that can be celebrated by all those involved.”
The new campus site is on Lanacre Avenue, which is a short 5 minute walk from Colindale Underground station. The accessible, urban location of the new campus and its close proximity to public transport links ensures an improved experience for new and existing students and the local community.
It forms part of a £550million plan to re-generate the wider Grahame Park area; including the construction of approximately 2,000 new homes. Construction began in February 2015 and the new campus will be ready for the start of the academic year in September 2016.