DESCRIBED as “the best thing for the future development of the town”, planners have approved the building of a new vocational-skills centre at the Louisburg Barracks development.

Chaired by Tony Muldoon, deputy council leader, the Whitehill Town Council members voted unanimously in favour of the centre, which would train mainly post-16-year-old students and adults with a focus on construction skills.

After the meeting, Mr Muldoon, who is also chairman of East Hampshire District Council, said that the centre “will be the best thing for the future of the town”.

“We need this development,” he added.

The centre which, it is hoped, will be able to take students by the spring of 2017, still needs permission from Hampshire County Council and its decision is expected in the next few weeks.

The application includes a new access road from the proposed new relief road.

The centre is part of the wider plans to regenerate Whitehill and Bordon and, if it gets final planning permission, it will be built at the Homes and Communities Agency-owned Louis-burg Barracks site, in the north of the town.

The training provided at the new centre would equip young people and adults with construction-job skills.

Plans for the centre follow the Homes and Communities Agency’s successful bid for funding to the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

The project is now being taken forward by the county council which will develop and run the centre.

The county council has also contributed further funding to ensure the project is a success.

When the news of the centre was announced, Nick Drew, the district council’s portfolio holder for economic development, said: “If planning permission is granted, the future skills centre will be a fantastic opportunity for Whitehill and Bordon’s residents.

“The centre will help get young people and adults into work by teaching them essential employment skills.

“Students will learn about brickwork, carpentry, electrical work and plumbing, and the centre will also be used to support the district council’s successful apprenticeship programme, which fits well into the district council’s economic-development strategy.

“It’s important that we equip residents with the skills they need to take advantage of the construction jobs which will become available as Whitehill and Bordon is regenerated.”

Kelly Hillman, senior area manager at the HCA, said: “The future skills centre is key to ensuring that Whitehill and Bordon is a great place to live and work.

“As the new community develops, many construction jobs will be created and will ensure local people are best placed to take advantage of these opportunities, as well as learning valuable skills on which to build a successful career. The regeneration of Whitehill and Bordon is not just about creating new buildings, it’s about building new futures.

“We are pleased to be working with Hampshire County Council and the Enterprise M3 LEP on this exciting project.”

The news follows the submission of a Homes and Communities Agency application for a business-and-enterprise centre, submitted to East Hampshire District Council in July, which, if approved, would transform Louisburg’s Broxhead House (the former sergeants’ mess) into office space and training rooms, creating create more than 200 jobs.