Local residents have raised concerns over a Salford City College plan to knock down part of its Walkden campus and sell off the land to a housing developer.
The college aims to raise £2 million from the proposed land sale, situated between Edge Fold Road and Walkden Road.
It would mean demolishing two college buildings to allow a developer to build up to 24 homes.
This money would be invested in improved facilities at Walkden and at Salford City College’s four other campuses.
College officials met with parents, students and local residents this week to outline the plans before they submit a planning application to Salford City Council.
But local residents said they were unhappy that there were no representatives from Salford City Council at the meeting.
One, who lives Edge Fold Road, said: “Salford council needs to speak to people and make them aware of what is going on.”
Others raised concerns about the high levels of traffic already affecting Walkden Road and fear that it may increase with the arrival of 24 new houses.
Read: Walkden campus sell-off: Plans to demolish Salford City College buildings for 24 homes
Salford City College Vice Principal Saf Arfan agreed, saying that legitimate concerns should be addressed.
Saf thinks the new housing will be more attractive than the existing college.
“If you look at what we have here at the moment it is not very attractive and it is not getting any better, so if you compare that with what it will be like with new housing, I think it will be a far nicer area and environment, in my opinion I think it will lift it up.”
“I think it would complement the area, however this is a legitimate concern, congestion, parking and a loss of privacy and that we need to listen to.”
The proposed housing plan aims to have a 2.1m high boarded timber around the full perimeter of the development.
Salford City College wants to turn each of their five campuses into ‘Centres of Excellence’ for specific subjects.
Walkden would be a centre for hospitality and catering, hair and beauty and health and social care, including the NHS Cadets programme.
The cash from the land sale would be re-invested in improved catering facilities, a commercial restaurant, a new ‘e-learning hub’ and a hair and beauty salon for commercial use.
The current Animal Care course at Walkden will be moved to the Eccles campus where there is more land space for better facilities.
Concerns were raised through an online petition in October 2015 which debated education cuts, after the college announced 57 job losses.
Saf Arfan told SalfordOnline.com that no further jobs would be cut will not be lost during these changes and coaches would be provided for students travelling campus to campus.
The college is seeking to compete with neighbouring institutions including Bolton and Trafford to increase its student intake. Arfan told SalfordOnline.com: “we want to make centres of excellent to inspire and motivate students.”
Last year Salford City College suffered staggering £3m of Further Education cuts laid down by central government.
Most of the cuts are down to a 22% funding reduction from the Skills Funding Agency in 2015/16 and further cuts of 20% every year.
Without change the college expects a deficit of £700,000 in 2015/16, and over £1 million every further year until 2020.
