Educational needs outweigh objections as DPC approves plan for new college

Plans for a new College of Further Education at Europa Point were approved by the Development and Planning Commission on Thursday, with Gibraltar’s educational needs trumping concerns over the height of the building.

The proposal envisages construction of a five-storey building on Harding’s Road, on the site of the playground at the old St Christopher’s School. The top floors cover only half the footprint.

The college will be next to the University of Gibraltar’s six-storey accommodation block and close to the university itself and adjacent sporting facilities, offering cross-over opportunities for learning in different fields.

In debating the project, the DPC acknowledged the importance of the project for the community and the opportunities it will create.

The Gibraltar College is currently housed in the old Bishop Fitzgerald school at South Bastion on Line Wall Road, a building that is rundown and has no capacity for expansion at a time when educators are ramping up their offering in both academic and vocational courses aimed not just at young students but adults and those with special needs too.

The Gibraltar Government had originally planned to build the new college next to the Cross of Sacrifice but the site was complex and those plans were scrapped in favour of the Europa Point site.

“There are all sorts of educational reasons why the college needs to move, but it also needs to be able to expand and grow,” said Education Minister Dr John Cortes.

“This has been designed with the teachers and it’s the college that they want and feel that they need for the huge range of people who are going to be using it.”

On Thursday, the town planning department voiced concern about several aspects of the project including its height, massing and visual impact, particularly from Europa Road.

Its recommendation was that the current proposal be modified to address those concerns, which were similar to those expressed about the university accommodation block when it came before the DPC in 2018.

The fear back then was that the accommodation block was not in keeping with the context of Europa Point and would set a precedent for future developments.

Planners acknowledged the site was a good location for the college, given the potential educational synergies with the university and nearby sporting facilities, but urged a review of the building’s height.

The DPC also heard from objectors who live in two-storey homes adjacent to the development site.

While they supported the project’s educational aim, they were worried about issues including privacy, the impact of increased traffic and demands on parking in area that was already very busy.

The discussion during Thursday’s meeting explored the tension between those concerns and the project’s clear long-term value to Gibraltar’s community.

Alternatives including lowering the height of the building by expanding horizontally into an adjacent site owned by the university had been explored but were not viable, the DPC was told.

Finally, while the concerns raised were acknowledged as legitimate, the importance of the college to Gibraltar’s educational offering was seen as more important, particularly given there were other taller buildings in the area.

The project was approved, with nine DPC members voting in favour and two abstaining.

As with all major projects, numerous conditions were attached relating to issues ranging from traffic management to sewage infrastructure, heritage monitoring, landscaping and parking, among others.

Consideration will also be given to reducing the visual impact by splitting the top floor, which will house an industrial kitchen and restaurant for catering students.

The college will include an examination centre as part of its purpose-built facilities.