PLANS have been submitted to create a new business school building at a town college.

Barton Peveril Sixth Form College in Eastleigh has recently submitted a planning application to create a new business school on its current campus.

The new building would be three-storeys tall and include 29 new classrooms, as well as a new reception area for the college.

Over the reception area, the building would step down to two-storeys with an outside terrace area also included.

It would be on the Chestnut Avenue side of the campus in an area currently used as a car park and is planned to allow the college to deal with increasing numbers of students.

The college claims that since 2019, the number of students studying at the college has increased by 450 (12 per cent) meaning that their current number is at 4020.

The college said: “The school is in the process of formalising the short-term rental of six additional classrooms for a two-year period from a local establishment ten minutes walk away which would be a temporary solution to assist the 2020 growth, however not sufficient in terms of projected growth for 2021, 2022 and 2023.”

Once funding is secured for the project, the college plans to begin construction in August 2021, with the aim of finishing the build and occupying the new premises by September 2022.

The application for planning permission was submitted to Eastleigh Borough Council on March 19 and now a period of consultation is taking place until May 11.

The college added: “A simple and efficient building plan has been designed to respond to the school’s priorities.

“This has enabled the block to be cost effective and it can be built efficiently and quickly with little, or no, disruption to the running of the sixth form.”