EDUCATION leaders and councillors have welcomed plans to build a new training centre in Whitehill and Bordon.

The building, which will be named the Future Skills Centre, would offer a variety of vocational training to post-16 students and adults, with a focus on construction.

If approved, the facility will be built at the Homes and Communities Agency-owned site of Louisburg Barracks, at the north of the town.

Mill Chase Academy principal Paul Hemmings said: “A Future Skills Centre will provide great benefits to our young people and to the future economic prosperity of the town.

“Mill Chase Academy is working successfully to raise the aspirations of all our students and expand their life choices through excellent teaching and learning, and this additional provision will offer a further pathway post 16.

“As a community we want excellent educational and training opportunities to be available to everyone locally, and the Future Skills Centre will be a great asset to Whitehill and Bordon.”

Whitehill Town Council leader Adam Carew said it was “fantastic” that “our local demands for post-16 education and vocational training in particular have been listened to and will be delivered”.

“It is very exciting to see the things we campaigned so hard for locally, as part of our original Green Vision to provide a vibrant and sustainable community here in Whitehill and Bordon, are finally becoming a reality,” he added.

The centre is part of the wider plans to regenerate Whitehill and Bordon, with 3,350 new homes, thousands of new jobs, a new town centre and new facilities.

The plans were submitted to Hampshire County Council last week and a decision on whether planning permission will be granted is expected in mid September.

This proposal is a result of the Homes and Communities Agency’s successful bid for funding to the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership.

The project is now being taken forward by the county council, which will develop and run the centre. The council has also contributed further funding.

Kelly Hillman, senior area manager at the Homes and Communities Agency, 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.

“This centre 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 is about building new futures.

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

Councillor Peter Edgar, the county council’s executive member for education, commented: “We are delighted to be working with colleagues from the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership, the Homes and Communities Agency and East Hampshire District Council to create this fantastic new flagship facility for Whitehill and Bordon.

“The Future Skills Centre represents a positive investment by Government and the county council in the local community, and will help local people develop new skills and secure employment.”

Geoff French CBE, chairman of the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership, said that a “skilled workforce” was “key to the success of the development of the community and its economic growth”.

“The skills centre is part of our integrated investment in Whitehill and Bordon, supporting the building of homes, creation of jobs and improvement in transport links,” he added.

“The potential for Whitehill and Bordon, identified as a Step Up Town in our Strategic Economic Plan, to attract businesses and perform at a higher level is achievable with this type of investment.”

If planning permission is granted, the future skills centre is expected to be open and ready to take students in spring 2017.