SEN college rebuild halts after contractor goes bust

The council has allocated nearly £22m to the project already

A multi-million pound rebuild of a special educational needs college in Burgess Hill has been suspended after the contractor collapsed.

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) said phase two of work at Woodlands Meed SEN College had been halted following an announcement that ISG had gone into administration on Friday.

The local authority said it was "extremely disappointed" by the news and "had no prior warning" this was about to happen.

ISG, owned by the US firm Cathexis, is involved in 69 government projects across the UK that total more than £1bn, according to data analysts Barbour ABI.

It had been struggling financially for quite some time.

WSCC said it would work with the college and ISG's administrators to ensure the rebuild - which has already suffered delays attributed to labour and supply chain issues - is completed.

Another contractor may be involved, it added.

'Gobsmacked'

The council has allocated nearly £22million to "significantly improve" facilities for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities at the college.

Works include adding a new dining hall and kitchen, common room, hydrotherapy pool, 12 new classrooms and two sports halls.

The new facilities were originally due to open last September.

During an inspection of the site in 2023, school governors described being "gobsmacked" by the development's condition.

They said it looked like "a building site".

Independent surveys cited by WSCC said the current buildings are safe, but that more space was needed and facilities required an upgrade.