Work on a £20 million project to regenerate a seaside town has started.
The first spade went into the ground just before 10am today (February 6) as work began on a new block at Sheppey College in Sheerness.
Cement mixers, a digger and a 15-metre piling drill were on-site to lay the foundations of the new two-storey building in Bridge Road.
The college is run by East Kent Colleges (EKC) and its chief executive Graham Razey was on site today with councillor Monique Bonney, the chair of the regeneration and property committee.
Construction company Jenner has been contracted to carry out the £5.48 million scheme which is all part of the Sheerness Revival project.
The facility will offer new places for students aged 16 to 19. It will allow the college to expand its curriculum and offer courses in creative, engineering and logistics.
It is set to be up and running by October.
Mr Razey told KentOnline this is a “monumental step” for education on Sheppey as it will offer young people “world-class facilities”.
He pointed to the recent overhaul in secondary education in September, which saw EKC and Leigh Academies Trust take over from the struggling Oasis Academy.
“Our ambition is to allow young people to stay on the Island to train,” he said, “and we’re hoping when they finish their secondary education they will come and study here in these facilities and then gain jobs on the Island too.
“So hopefully [this project] will bring more students. The new disciplines mean we’ll be looking for staff in the creative industries and teachers of engineering.”
This work is all thanks to £20 million secured through levelling up funding from the government. Swale council is using the money to upgrade several of its sites in what is being called the Sheerness Revival.
It aims to improve education and leisure facilities on the Island and includes a revamp of the Sheppey Leisure Complex and a new two-storey building at Beachfields.
Inside that building will be a cafe and an upgraded gym. Outside the new look centre will be a 15-hole adventure golf course.
Plans were given the go-ahead on January 17 and work on that part of the project is due to start in April.
By the end of this month, work will also start on converting three garages into business units at Master House in Trinty Road.
The former Victorian offices on the same site have already been transformed into a business hub for young people and reopened under the Launch It banner in October 2023.
Cllr Bonney, who has been overseeing the project for the council, says getting the scheme off the ground was “no mean feat”.
She said: “I was heartbroken to see the assets of the council-run down and disused so this project has been an example of how councils need to think creatively about using them.
“The college project itself is a fantastic opportunity [for young people] to get those practical skills, to learn life skills as well as going forward with a career.
“It is no mean feat to get a substantial funding arrangement in place, to get it off the ground and to get it done.”
Labour MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey Kevin McKenna says seeing the work start on the Revival project is “fantastic” and that he believes it will improve the local economy.
He said: “Allowing the college to expand the amount of work it does here in fitting people with the skills they need for jobs on the Island will have effects that feedback across the whole community.
“If people are doing what they want to do but are also better paid then they will want to stay on Sheppey, which allows us to build the strength in the community economically.”
The council bid for the funding two and a half years ago but was met with some backlash over what the scheme did not include.
After a public consultation, initial ambitious plans to rebuild the town’s swimming pool were ditched because they were deemed too expensive.
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