Tuesday, November 13, 2007
John Laing Projects & Developments, a division of John Laing Plc and residential partner Gladedale, announces that it has reached financial close on a £75 million scheme to build new college facilities in Hastings, East Sussex.
Funded by the Learning Skills Council, the new state-of-the-art facilities for Hastings College will be built at Station Plaza, Hastings and at Ore Valley, Rother. The site at Station Plaza (being sold to the college by Sea Space) will feature a wide range of C21st vocational training and academic learning environments including a new 6th Form Academy. The site also includes a learning centre as well as over 100 private residential apartments, underground parking and a primary care health facility and space for a pharmacy. At Ore Valley, a 5,900 sq m business and technology centre with engineering and construction workshops will be built.The joint-venture between John Laing and Gladedale has purchased Hastings College’s estate of three other sites, which will be re-developed for residential purposes with provision for social and affordable housing. Funds from this purchase will be used to part-fund the construction of the new college buildings.
John Laing’s construction partner Laing O’Rourke began work on the college buildings in September 2007 and the college is expected to open by the end of 2009.
The residential apartments adjacent to the new college building at Station Plaza will be developed by John Laing’s joint-venture partner, Gladedale. They will be delivered to Eco Homes ‘Excellent’ and Millennium Community standards; with 25% of the units delivered as affordable homes and 3% of the units disability enabled.
John Laing has acted as an interface with Network Rail in overcoming challenges relating to parking facilities for railway staff along with construction related issues of working adjacent to operational railway lines. John Laing’s involvement in this project allows the college to acquire a larger, more sophisticated facility far in excess of that which would have been available given the standard methods of funding.
Jamie Kerr, managing director of John Laing Projects & Developments commented on the scheme saying, “We are delighted to be assisting with the regeneration of the wider area by transforming the estate of Hastings College and delivering a state-of-the-art facility. This is the first financial close reached in this new division of John Laing which is building up a significant portfolio of regeneration projects, centered around civic infrastructure.”
Sue Middlehurst, principal of Hastings College added, “With academic and vocational facilities for 2,500 students, our new college buildings will help transform further education in the area. These iconic and inspirational new college buildings will also help to mark us out as a leading provider of post-16 education. We are looking forward to working with John Laing to make this vision a reality by 2009.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
About John Laing
John Laing plc is a specialist provider of facilities through public private partnerships with a long-term perspective and approach. The company manages and delivers 59 projects from planning and funding through to design, construction and operation. It is actively involved in the management of a wide range of education, health, police, rail, roads and special purpose government facilities.
John Laing has now developed a strategic partnership with the Gladedale Group to deliver schemes involving residential properties as part of mixed use developments including John Laing’s core activities. Gladedale operate across the whole of the UK with 17 regional offices covering a full range of residential, regeneration and heritage based developments.
For further information please contact:
Charles Reynolds at The Madano Partnership
Tel: 020 7593 4000 or email: charles.reynolds@madano.co.uk
Christine Jones at John Laing plc
Tel: 020 7901 3200 or email: christine.jones@laing.com