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press
office: press releases
martineau johnson secures longbridge location for bournville college
06/05/2008
Leading independent law firm Martineau Johnson has secured a major deal for Birmingham’s Bournville College which will see the entire college move to a brand new campus at Longbridge in 2011. The firm has advised and exchanged on behalf of the College, the contracts to acquire four acres of the former MG Rover North Works site at Longbridge in a deal worth £3million. Longbridge, once the largest manufacturing plant in the world, closed in 2004 when MG Rover went into administration.
The purchase of the land is the first step towards the development of the new campus, which will be the biggest single regeneration on the site since its closure and is supported by Advantage West Midlands and the LSC. It heralds the renaissance of Longbridge as a key educational facility to promote skills, jobs and vocational training. The newly-sited College will be able to provide new opportunities for local people and improve the skills base in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Costing in the region of £84 million the campus, with its high-tech design as well as top class facilities for students, including a state of the art technical department, is set to become a local landmark. Bournville College was established in 1913 and has been at its current premises in Birmingham since 1972, teaching around 12,000 students. The College already has a smaller presence at Longbridge at the Construction Centre and Innovation Centre close to the former MG Rover factory.
Martineau Johnson secured the deal which provides the College with a quality development and good value for money. This involved negotiations with St. Modwen Developments (represented by Wragge & Co), which acquired much of the Longbridge site from MG Rover, and will work with the College as its development partner for the new campus.
Paul Mountain, partner and head of the construction team at Martineau Johnson, said: “We are delighted to have played a role in this important aspect of the regeneration of the Longbridge site and we believe the relocation and development of the College campus will create many opportunities for Birmingham communities and businesses.”
Clive Read, partner and head of the education property team at Martineau Johnson, said: “This deal is unusual as it is rare for a Further Education College to enter into a development partnership with a private partner. The challenge for us, acting on behalf of Bournville College, was to secure value for money for the College and our team achieved this through highly effective and skilled negotiations.”
Norman Cave, Principal of Bournville College, said: “The agreement between Bournville College and St Modwen is not only a significant step for the College but also for the regeneration of Longbridge and we are delighted this landmark 21st Century education facility is moving ahead. Martineau Johnson played a key role in securing this deal and we are very excited to be part of the ambitious plans for this area. We are grateful for the support we have received from Advantage West Midlands and the Learning and Skills Council. The proposals are subject to the formal approval of Birmingham City Council and the Learning and Skills Council.”
Martineau Johnson will continue to work with Bournville College throughout the project assisting on a range of issues including building rules and regulations, planning permission and other Council matters.
Martineau Johnson is one of the UK’s leading independent law firms with offices in Birmingham and London. The firm provides a full range of commercial legal services to more than 90 universities and colleges across the country, and is currently working on a number of construction projects at Colleges and Universities in the UK. The firm began life in Birmingham more than 180 years ago.
For further information please contact Paul Mountain on
paul.mountain@martjohn.com
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