Students at City College Brighton and Hove were in jubilant mood after councillors gave the green light to plans for the redevelopment of the college. Construction students Tom Fry, Zoe Miller and Olly Dawson were particularly pleased as the redevelopment will create jobs in a range of trades over the next three to four years.
Brighton & Hove City Council planning committee gave permission for the transformation of the Pelham site into a landmark centre of learning for the whole city, capturing the Council’s aspirations for quality design.

City College Principal Phil Frier with students Tom Fry, Zoe Miller and Olly Dawson - Photo by Ken Street
The work will include the demolition of Pelham Tower in the first twelve months of the redevelopment schedule, followed by the building of state of the art and specialist training facilities, covering 14,237 square metres of space in the heart of the city.
In addition to a huge curriculum choice and the contemporary, high tech learning suites, the campus will also include areas accessible to the public, run by students, such as a training restaurant with views over the city, travel shop, theatre, nail bar and hair salon with beauty treatments at affordable prices.
Phil Frier, Principal and Chief Executive at City College Brighton and Hove, says:
"The decision by the Council is great news. The entire College community is focused on the development of a stunning new college complex that will completely change the educational landscape in this wonderful city. I am very grateful to all the project supporters who share this ambition and are helping to make it a reality."
Phil adds:
"The Skills Secretary, John Denman, recently announced that an independent review was being undertaken to establish how best to ensure the delivery of all the proposed new college projects in the UK. The plans for City College meet all the key criteria laid down by the LSC and are considered a very high priority for development. I am confident that the review will recognise this and allow us to move onto the next stage of the new build process."