A new technology and skills centre is to be built in Mansfield after it was given the go-ahead by councillors.

Mansfield District Council planning committee backed ambitious proposals for the £8.8m centre following a site visit.

The Future Tech Skills and Knowledge Exchange will create a new teaching and innovation space at the Chesterfield Road campus of West Nottinghamshire College.

The centre aims to address high-value employment opportunities in priority sectors and support businesses to adopt new technologies.

This state-of-the-art education facility, due to open in autumn 2024, will deliver qualifications at level 3 and above, with a strong focus on innovation and STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects. Incorporating facilities to support construction, engineering and digital technologies, the campus will offer the opportunity to meet future labour market needs, plug skills gaps, and help to create well-paid jobs in Mansfield and the wider district.

Funding for the £8.86m facility was made possible thanks to an allocation of £4.3m from the council’s Towns Fund pot, £3.827m from the Education and Skills Funding Agency as part of the second phase of its Further Education Capital Transformation Fund, and £734,000 from the college and Nottingham Trent University.

The council’s portfolio holder for Regeneration and Growth, Coun Stuart Richardson, said the go-ahead marked an important milestone in the delivery of Towns Fund projects.

He added: “We now have two of our Towns Fund projects progressing at pace, the Warsop Health Hub and now the skills hub. This partnership with the college will see one of the district’s biggest expansions in educational and skills provision for decades. It will also encourage new employers to start or come to Mansfield, knowing that high-level, industry-relevant skills are being developed here.”

The new centre will provide high-quality teaching space over two floors and be a focal delivery point for T Levels — qualifications developed in collaboration with employers — being introduced by the college.

The Future Tech Skills and Knowledge Exchange will offer opportunities for businesses to benefit from the technological expertise of the college and Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and their networks of industrial partnerships.

The college’s former visual art and design building – once the Mansfield School of Art – which has not been widely used for education for almost a decade, is to be demolished.

However, parts of the portico on the building will be retained and repositioned to create an entrance to the new centre. The remaining elements of the portico will remain in the grounds.

The rear extension to the Ashfield House building will also be demolished. However, the original early 19th Century building will be retained and given prominence in front of the skills hub.