Leicester: New £5.4m aeronautical engineering college site approved

The new centre will be built at Leicester College's Abbey Park Campus

Plans to build a new £5.4m aeronautical engineering training centre at a college in Leicester have been approved.

The facility at Leicester College's Abbey Park Campus, in Painter Street, will have space for up to 114 students.

The college said there was a "need for provision to develop appropriate technical skills to address shortages" in the industry.

The planning application was approved by Leicester City Council.

A decision notice was published by the authority on Friday.

Work on the new facility is due to start in August and is expected to be complete by summer 2025.

The site will house "industry-standard aeronautical equipment"

The new two-storey development, near the college's motor vehicle engineering building, will feature laboratories, workshops and a flight simulator room, according to planning documents.

The college said the facility would offer technical skills programmes at Level 4 and 5, as well as apprenticeships.

According to planning documents, there is "definitely a skills shortage in the area" and a need "for young people to join the industry".

Verity Hancock, principal and chief executive of the college, said: "We're delighted to get the green light on the construction of the new aeronautical skills centre.

"When completed, the site will house industry-standard aeronautical equipment in a learning environment that will inspire the next generation of aviation and engineering professionals."

Planning documents show that the college secured £4.9m from the Office for Students, the regulator of higher education, for the project.

The college also contributed £500,000 towards the facility.