Multi-million-pound plans to redevelop Chichester College have been dealt a devastating blow after the government announced funding for the project had been axed.
The college had secured a grant from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) which was going to be used towards ambitious plans to create a state-of-the-art '21st-century' college at a total cost of £135m.
Earlier this year the LSC announced it woul
d be postponing any final decisions for grants, but on Friday Chichester College principal Richard Parker heard it would not be getting the funding to enable it to start building work this summer.
Dr Parker said: "We are very disappointed our rebuilding plans for our Chichester and Brinsbury campuses will not receive any money from the LSC.
"Like all further education colleges we had been encouraged to create plans to redevelop our campuses for the 21st century."
The LSC had granted the money in principle to more than 180 colleges across the country, but had to pull the plug after realising there was not enough money in its budget for all the colleges. Now, only 13 will receive LSC grants.
Chichester College will now have to wait until a new spending review in 2011 for another chance to secure funding.
Dr Parker said while the plans had to be shelved temporarily, the college still wanted to go ahead with the redevelopment.
He added: "Chichester College is a financially-strong college and we will be able to redevelop our campuses, but it will take us longer to do this."
The college's campus development plans would have seen 24,580sq m of new buildings, creating room for more than an extra 1,000 students.
In April, the college submitted a planning application for the development and has spent many hours and a significant amount of money on architects' plans.
Vice-principal David Smith said there was a feeling of frustration across the sector about the cuts. Despite the blow, he said not all was not lost for Chichester.
He said the college would not wait for the government and would find other ways to make the project a reality.
Chichester MP Andrew Tyrie said: "It is a disgraceful shambles that colleges have gone ahead with planning, very reasonably on clear guidance from the LSC, and then found out the goalposts have been moved."
Chichester College spokesman Paul Woodman, said the proposed student flats development in Stockbridge Road would not be affected. Seven other colleges in Sussex will not receive expected funding.
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