WORK has begun on new and improved facilities at a St Albans college where an earlier major building project was hit by spending cuts.

A new teaching block, sports hall and state of the art sports pitches are being constructed at the Smallford campus of Oaklands College.

But several years ago it looked as though the college’s development proposals had been completely thwarted when the Learning and Skills Council cut funding to a number of college building projects including a “hub and spoke” scheme at Oaklands which would have been centred on the Smallford campus.

At the time the college was concerned by the challenges faced by outdated and inadequate facilities but some years later and despite the setbacks, it has continued to thrive.

A new estates strategy involving significant investment in both the Smallford and Welwyn campuses and a continued presence in Borehamwood was put into action, resulting in planning permission for the scheme at the campus in Hatfield Road. The work is being carried out by leading construction company ISG Jackson.

College principal Zoe Hancock said: “This marks a huge step forward for Oaklands.

“This investment will further enhance the excellent experience for our students and provide community-wide opportunities that will thrive on participation and partnership.”