Wigan landscape set to change as college bids to build major new educational premises

The Parsons Walk buildings, which used to be the Thomas Linacre School (not to be confused with the Thomas Linacre Centre across the road which used to be the grammar school), could be demolished within months to make way for new state-of-the-art facilities.

The premises in question were until recently home to the college’s performing arts school, but at the beginning of term all of its students moved into a new base elsewhere on the campus complete with a 130-seat theatre, dance studios, a recording studio and media suites sporting the latest technology.

Now the next phase is to raze the TLS buildings and, over the next three years, create new premises for the various other schools in the college – including public services, health and social care and child care – on the footprint and current car park. When all that’s complete then more green space and new car parking facilities would be provided.

In the meantime, the college stresses that no students are being inconvenienced, the fact that the Rushton building is now part of the campus means that the college still has wiggle room while developments continue.

And this is all being made possible by government cash being made available.

A college spokesperson said: “In 2019 the Department for Education carried out a national condition survey across the Further Education sector.

"Known as the Further Education Condition Data Collection, the survey identified 16 colleges nationally who were in the greatest need of capital investment with Wigan and Leigh College’s Parson’s Walk campus being one of them.

"Referred to as the Further Education Capital Transformation Fund, this (physical) condition-led investment programme, is being delivered directly by the Department for Education with the college effectively the end-user.

“The project has been out for public consultation and is currently at planning stage.

“The redevelopment project seeks to demolish the Wigan School for the Arts building and the Main College Tower Block Building, to provide space to create a new, state-of-the-art learning environment for our students and the local community.

"The college has been preparing for the project over the last two years and has relocated student activity so there is little disruption to students whilst the building is taking place.”

The Thomas Linacre School was built at the beginning of the 1950s and consecrated exactly 50 years ago. It provided more technical education than the nearby grammar school.