High Speed Rail college gets green light

Planning permission has been granted for the National College for High Speed Rail to be built at Lakeside in Doncaster.

Approval is the latest milestone for the project. The college will help develop the skilled workforce needed to build HS2 and other projects.

Construction of the £25 million, 7,200 sq metre three-storey building is scheduled to begin in April, with the first intake of students in September 2017.

Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones said: “The National College for High Speed Rail is progressing at a rapid rate of knots. With planning approval secured it signals the green light for this transformational project to move into its constructional phase.

“The College is a game changer for Doncaster, the Sheffield City Region, Yorkshire and the North. It will encourage new investment, attract new companies into the borough, and provide new high-quality jobs for local people.”

• The National College for High Speed Rail will be located at two sites. The headquarters will be in Birmingham, with an additional campus in Doncaster (HS2M, RAIL 788).