Walsall College has unveiled details of the proposed Walsall Business and Sports Hub it plans to develop.
The planned site for the new Hub is next to its Wisemore Campus on Littleton Street West, on unused land the college is obtaining from Walsall Council.
The £11m complex is intended to complement the current college facilities available to both students and members of the public at its £64m Wisemore Campus. Work is expected to commence on the build next summer and will be completed by September 2015 if the college is given funding approval. It is expected that the project will create a total of 250 jobs.
The college’s governing body has agreed on plans for the hub, which will include a business development centre providing support and advice to anyone looking to set up an enterprise or business project.
The college hopes the hub will help to address the regional enterprise shortfall, promote growth in the local economy and help boost job opportunities.
The sports element of the hub will feature fitness studios, a sports hall with badminton courts to Sport England standards, a sports training and injury clinic and spa facilities.
Deb Rajania, the Director of operations and resources at Walsall College, who is responsible for the project, said: “The Walsall Business and Sports Hub is the next phase of our learning campus development and we are delighted that Walsall Council is supporting our vision to increase participation in sport and wealth creation for our learners and wider Walsall community.
“The college was rated as outstanding by Ofsted this year. We are very committed to going beyond outstanding by continuing to support the regeneration of Walsall with the development of employability and enterprise skills with the help of Walsall Council.”
The centre will be built using a number of renewable and low technology features to cut down on its carbon footprint.
