Bishop Laney Sixth Form (Ely College), part of Meridian Trust, is excited to announce the submission of a planning application for a £5 million refurbishment project.

This initiative aims to establish a state-of-the-art sixth form centre that will improve the educational experiences for students across East Cambridgeshire.

In June, the Department for Education granted additional funding to Bishop Laney Sixth Form, enabling the refurbishment of the existing Needham Tower block into a new, purpose-built home for the Sixth Form.

This development follows the success of an application made by Meridian Trust in November 2022. The application highlighted the anticipated surge in demand for school places in East Cambridgeshire and garnered support from Ms Frazer, the local Member of Parliament.

This week marks a pivotal moment as plans for the redevelopment have been officially submitted to East Cambridgeshire District Council, outlining a visionary transformation of the Needham Tower block.

Simon Warburton, Principal of Ely College and Bishop Laney Sixth Form, said: "This marks an exciting next step in our plans to create a new purpose-built home for Bishop Laney Sixth Form. The project will empower us to provide further high-quality education locally and will greatly enhance the learning environment for the young people in our community. We are deeply grateful for the support received so far and eagerly anticipate sharing more details when we are able to."

The redevelopment looks to reimagine the current building, symbolizing regeneration while prioritizing environmental sustainability. Plans include making the facility environmentally carbon neutral and achieving zero net carbon targets for energy consumption.

As the project progresses, more details will be unveiled. The Sixth Form has already shared an initial concept design (pictured attached) as a glimpse into the vision for the future.

For more information about Ely College and Bishop Laney Sixth Form, please visit: www.elycollege.com.