Students excited to start at 'professional' new campus

The new Northern Regional College campus in Ballymena cost £54m

A new further education college in Ballymena, County Antrim, was given a ringing endorsement by students when it opened its doors for the first time on Tuesday.

"Professional", "clean" and "gorgeous" were some of the words used to describe the £54m Northern Regional College campus.

Students were welcomed into the building ahead of the academic term starting in September and said it was a world apart from the old Farm Lodge campus.

Tia will begin a childcare course at the new campus in September

Tia who has enrolled on a course in childcare, said she was very impressed by the facilities.

"It's lovely, it is gorgeous, it's been done up really well," the 16-year-old said.

David, 18, who is taking a foundation degree in computing, said he absolutely loved the facilities.

"It looks great, it's new and I just love the way it looks," he said.

"It looks cleaner."

Principal Mel Higgins said the college would provide students with "all the trades and skills young people need to enter the world of work".

"The building here is more than just a campus," he said.

"It's a way of learning, it's a way of picking up skills."

Students will be able to gather on the 'social stairs' which are at the entrance of the new Ballymena campus

The centrepiece of the college entrance are so-called "social steps".

As well as connecting the floors of the building, they have colourful cushions where students can sit.

The aim is to create a social hub and encourage collaboration.

The hair and beauty studios on campus will give students real life experience while they are learning

There are plans for the hair and beauty studios to be open to the public at times, allowing students to get real life experience.

There is also a stand alone sports hall and a training restaurant.

The college is purpose-built for vocational, technical and professional education to set students up for future careers.

Despite the excitement at the opening of the campus, there have been concerns about public transport links.

It is situated on St Patrick's Link Road, a new £7.5 million access route.

The road currently lacks bus lay-bys or safe drop-off points, making it unsuitable for Translink services.

TUV MLA, Timothy Gaston, is concerned about the campus' bus links

Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) MLA Timothy Gaston said it was a "massive disaster" that public transport provision was not adequately factored in before the road was developed.

"Unfortunately they didn't take into consideration how people will get to and from," he said.

"My fear is that, if they don't get a handle on this issue they'll see further ramifications not just for Northern Regional College but for future developments on this site".

"If people can't get to it, they might look to go elsewhere for their education."

He added he was concerned people with mobility issues might be put off attending the campus.

UUP MLA, Jon Burrows came along to see the new campus

Ulster Unionist MLA Jon Burrows said public transport problems should not take away from the college.

However he said there were questions to be answered about public transport provision, while adding that the campus was "well-served in terms of connectivity within the town centre".

'Our college is fully accessible'

Mr Higgins said he wanted to reassure students that the college was accessible.

"We will continue to work with all stakeholders to maximise the potential for the new St Patrick's link road and look at ways in which that can develop as a hub and create better links for the campus," he said.

A spokesperson for the Northern Regional College said the college "raised the potential for public transport access to the campus via the new link road" during the planning and development of the new building.

The college understands that public transport access via the link road is being kept under review as the St Patrick's development continues.

A Translink spokesperson said the company was "continuing to explore options to serve the campus".

"The new campus is a short walk from George Street which is served by a number of bus services, including the 218 and 219," the spokesperson said.

"Passengers are encouraged to use the Translink journey planner for travel information."

Future public transport provision

A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said the design of the road was in line with DfI road design guidelines at the time of the planning application in 2017.

The spokesperson added that the absence of lay-bys did "not preclude future provision of public transport services".

The spokesperson said: "There are examples of other recently constructed roads in Northern Ireland that do not have them. When a bus instead stops in the active lane this ensures traffic behind a bus is brought briefly to a halt as passengers board/alight.

"It also offers greater scope for the ultimate location of public transport stops on a new road such as this to be flexible and determined in response to emerging demand as the needs of users become clearer."

A Department for the Economy spokesperson said: "The Department is aware that NRC has been engaging closely with all relevant stakeholders to consider transport enhancements to the new college."