Plans have been submitted for a Chatteris company's multi-million-pound vocational training school that will accommodate 80-130 apprentices per year and offer a range of subjects.
Stainless Metalcraft submitted its planning application in December after it secured a £3.16 million funding grant from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Local Growth Fund in September this year.
Fenland District Council supported the initial proposal, saying that the proposed development "had the potential to make a contribution to Chatteris, forming a landmark building on a prominent entrance to the town".
The application, which states the purpose-built training centre will be located on land to the west of the A141 at Fenland Way, seeks approval for the erection of a purpose-built training facility, access road, car and cycle parking, landscaping and associated infrastructure.
The new unit, which will have a parking area to the north of the building, requires the removal of - according to the tree report - 'some relatively insignificant trees, which will not significantly impact the local or wider landscape'.
Martin Lawrence, commercial director at Metalcraft, said in September: “When we launched the Fenland Engineering Skills Centre 10 years ago, it met a real need for our business, helping stave off a looming skills crisis and reduce the average age profile of our workforce by 10 years."
The training school will be run by a specialist education provider which will be appointed through a public tender process.
A preferred contractor is being selected to develop the site, with work expected to begin before the end of this year. A target completion date has been set for the end of 2021.
The centre will be managed by a third-party organisation, which will also be selected via public tender.
Stainless Metalcraft has worked with several local organisations to bring the plans to fruition, including The Active Learning Trust, MAKE UK, Cambs Skills and the University of Cambridge.
In 2019, HRH Princess Anne met apprentices and executives at the company’s Chatteris site.
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