Colleges defend building designs

Shropshire Colleges defend the design of their new buildings

The principal of a Shropshire college has defended the design of its new building.

Shrewsbury College and Shrewsbury Sixth Form College are hoping to co-locate at a large new campus in London Road.

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) has described aspects of the plan as "mediocre".

Greg Molan, principal of Shrewsbury College, said the government funded CABE had failed to understand aspects of the plan.

Mr Molan said CABE had submitted the plans to a schools panel for assessment.

'Dark and ambiguous'

"These are colleges, not schools, and they should not be judged as schools because very different criteria apply," he said.

"They have failed to understand the scheme in some respects."

He said the two colleges had worked closely with Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council to produce the plans.

The colleges had avoided any high rise development or loss of playing fields, he said.

A spokesperson for Bond Bryan, the educational architects who designed the project, criticised remarks by CABE about "long dark and ambiguous corridors and lack of natural ventilation and light in some classrooms".

The spokesperson pointed out the cost of the project had been increased to ensure the best possible light and space.