Longbridge plan will continue - St Modwen
A tendering exercise to appoint a firm to build the £84 million Bournville College at Longbridge is continuing even though a Government inquiry concluded that severe financial problems mean the project is unlikely to proceed.
Developers St Modwen, responsible for transforming 468 acres of south Birmingham, including the former MG Rover works, says it is convinced the 220,000 sq ft complex will still be built despite a cash crisis at the Learning and Skills Council.
Earlier this month former Audit Commission chief executive Sir Andrew Foster claimed there was “very little chance” that Bournville and 15 other West Midlands college expansion schemes would go ahead after the LSC over-committed its budget by £400 million.
A final decision is unlikely to be made by the Government for several months, casting doubt over a key element of the £700 million Longbridge development.
Bournville College is regarded as an essential element of the new-look Longbridge, providing a modern building whose construction will provide new jobs in the short term and new opportunities for quality skills training in an area afflicted by high unemployment.
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