Work is set to begin this summer to build a new Institute of Technology in Stafford after plans were given the green light by the borough council.

The £18m facility will be built on land currently occupied by Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG)'s construction and skills centre at Palmbourne Industrial Estate in Castle Street.

Stafford Borough Council has granted permission for existing buildings on the site to make way for the three-storey Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Institute of Technology (IoT). NSCG is leading the project, supported by education providers and employers including Keele University, Burton and South Derbyshire College, Axia Solutions, Siemens, Moog Aircraft Group, Dell, Hitachi Energy and St Modwen Logistics, and work is due to be completed in December 2024.

The IoT will offer students the chance to gain advanced manufacturing and engineering qualifications, aimed at meeting the needs of employers as well as the local and national economy. It will also be part of the transformation of the area around Stafford's railway station, which is set for regeneration to provide new homes, office and leisure space.

Palmbourne Industrial Estate, Castle Street (Google).

NSCG's principal and chief executive Craig Hodgson said: "We are delighted that the plans have been approved and would like to thank council planners for their support and positive response to our vision. We are proud to bring this exciting new facility to the heart of Stafford and excited to see the significant impact it will have on the entire Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire region.

"We are already making strides in shaping new higher-level technical curriculum in response to the skills needs of our region. And the new building, which is set to open in 2024, will give us even greater opportunity to educate and train people in those vital digital, construction and the built environment and health science skills that are so desperately needed by employers."

There were three objections to the plans submitted to the council however.

Concerns raised by objectors included limited parking provision leading to visitors parking on local streets. inadequate pedestrian access, loss of privacy and sunlight to gardens, noise and disturbance during construction and college strudents using a nearby play area, resulting in litter and damage.

A Railway Street resident said: "We wish to oppose the erection of the three- storey building, as we feel that it will not only be an eye-sore to our property, but we are also worried about the noise and the damage to the property. The building work that happened previously in the area, with the development of the Landon Way houses caused damage to our property, with large cracks developing from both the works and the vehicles and machinery accessing the site.

"We would be extremely worried that this will be the case again. There will also be significant increase in traffic to the site, which is a danger to our young children."

A Leys Close resident said: "I would more than likely lose the only bit of sunlight that reaches my garden due to this. People in the building would be able to see straight through my windows more than likely – I would have no privacy at all."

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