College bid to build new engineering block
RIVERSIDE College in Widnes has submitted plans to build a four-storey engineering block and refurbish the “dilapidated” cladding on the main part of the complex under an eco-friendly redevelopment.
Blueprints filed to Halton Borough Council showed the proposed extension would feature workshops and classrooms and replace a boiler, which is to be demolished and replaced by a substation serving the entire site.
A design statement said the engineering block would also be built to comply with modern environmental ambitions to decarbonise and feature wind turbines, heat pumps and solar panels, which will also form part of pupils’ education.
The college’s main block would be re-clad as part of the works, with architects at Falconer Chester Hall describing the existing exterior as “dilapidated”.
Their statement said: “The existing facade as a whole is in poor physical condition, with several of the materials such as the cladding tiles and the bricks degrading over the years into their current dilapidated state.
“The windows themselves are thermally inefficient and deliver a poor acoustic and air tightness performance for the building overall.”
It added the proposals would bring the building “up to the standards” of planning policies being implemented throughout Halton.