Harrow College's One Harrow project's future in doubt

2:10pm Wednesday 8th April 2009

By Jack Royston

A MULTI-MILLION pound project to bring thousands of Harrow College students together on one campus is hanging in the balance.

The college wants to amalgamate its two sites in a new building next to its existing town centre base, in Lowlands Road, but Government funding for the scheme is now in doubt.

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for dishing out grants to colleges up and down the country but promised too much cash to too many colleges.

The mistake has left 79 principles facing the possibility of large reductions in the grants they thought they would get.

Councillor David Ashton, leader of Harrow Council, said: “It's just basic simple incompetence that has induced colleges like Harrow to waste millions of pounds and in the case of some to knock down buildings in anticipation of grant funding.”

The government has not yet made a final decision on which schemes should get the money, meaning what is known as the “One Harrow” project could still go ahead.

But if the grant is substantially reduced it could mean the end of the scheme, and large sums of money already pumped into planning the development will have been wasted.

Councillor Bill Stephenson, leader of the Labour opposition, said: “I think Harrow College's bid is outstanding in that if they don't go ahead with this it's difficult to look at what Plan B will be.

“The accomodation on the Harrow Weald site is now in a dire condition and that cannot carry on for all that long.”

He said he has been in contact with Harrow's two MPs who are lobbying the Government for support on behalf of the college.

If the scheme does collapse, the LSC's mistake will also have repercussions for Harrow Council which wanted to build a new civic centre on the current site of the town centre campus.

Deepa Rai, a spokesman for the college, said: “We believe that Harrow College’s status as a leading education and learning provider in this part of the capital and its plans to create an outstanding centre for learning put it in a very strong position to secure the necessary funds to continue our important project.

“The planned regeneration of Harrow town centre will also benefit greatly from One Harrow. We remain optimistic.”

Jim Knight, schools minister, said: “Colleges and schools have done an outstanding job of recruiting and encouraging young people to stay in education or training until they are 18 and are to be congratulated for this.

“We are now seeing an even greater surge in demand for places than we have budgeted for.”

He said the Government is still trying to raise more money and will write to colleges again at the end of the month.

Are you a student or prospective student at Harrow College? You can contact Mr Knight with your views by emailing jimknightmp@parliament.uk.