One of Cambridge’s biggest sixth forms given go-ahead to expand

The college has acquired a new building which it says will ‘extend learning’

One of the country’s best sixth form colleges is set to expand under new plans. Hills Road Sixth Form College in Cambridge is renowned for its high achievements and its extensive range of A-level and academic courses on offer. There are around 3,000 students that attend the college from Cambridge and the wider region.

Back in July, the college set out to extend its learning spaces by converting the first floor of an office into a new teaching space at School House in Homerton Gardens. These plans have now been approved by the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning authority. The college wants to use the new building as a “specialist art teaching studios for sixth form students”.

The applicant added: “The proposed change of use represents a logical and sustainable extension of the college’s existing estate. It will enable Hills Road Sixth Form College to continue providing outstanding educational provision while making effective use of an existing building in an established educational location.”

The building is owned by Homerton College, a Cambridge University college. Hills Road Sixth Form has an “established and positive relationship” with the building owner, who “support the proposed educational use”.

There are three car parking spaces on site, however, the college only expects to use them on an “exceptional basis” for service vehicles. It will instead maintain the three spaces to “improve access to and from the first floor external staircase”.

The applicant said the site will not require any external changes to the building and the scale of the building will not be altered. They added: “All works are internal, cosmetic and related to our safeguarding obligations and the practicalities of teaching A level art and photography.”