Northern Ireland agriculture colleges to get £75m investment

Northern Ireland’s agricultural college campuses at Loughry and Greenmount are set for significant refurbishment, following the announcement of a £75m investment programme to run from 2023-28.

The work on the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) facilities will include new student accommodation and high-tech facilities to support student learning.

See also: Plea for government to save Newton Rigg

The plans for Loughry will also include a science centre, which will be shared with food research staff in the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute.

It is projected that £43m will be spent at Loughry and £32m at Greenmount.

Announcing the programme, agriculture minister Edwin Poots said the investment would “revolutionise” the facilities and underpin the future sustainable growth of the Northern Ireland agri-food industry.

“Our agri-food sector has faced many challenges over the past century, and has grown to develop a global reputation for high-quality food and traceability,” he said.

“It is now time to invest in each campus to provide modern, well-designed facilities that will meet the needs of students, staff and industry during the next century.”

‘On the market’

In contrast, the sale of Newton Rigg College, in Cumbria, by Yorkshire-based owner Askham Bryan College has started, with Savills putting the two college farms – Sewborwens Farm in Penrith and Low Beckside Farm in Mungrisdale – on the market for £5.5m and £1.7m, respectively.

The move has prompted an outcry in Cumbria, with Newton Rigg Ltd – the consortium that is trying to save the college site – saying it is still fighting for government intervention to retain land-based education in the county.

“Yes, it is now confirmed that Askham Bryan College will cease running courses at the Newton Rigg campus, and yes, Askham Bryan are pushing forward with advertising the property for sale,” said a spokesperson for Newton Rigg Ltd.

“But this does not mean that Newton Rigg College cannot still be protected and rebuilt as a centre of land-based education in Cumbria.

“At the very least, the government can intervene to ensure that Newton Rigg only changes hands for educational use.”

Failure to do so would amount to the government “permitting a policy of ‘robbing Cumbrian Peter to pay Yorkshire Paul’,” said the spokesman.

Independent

Government intervention looks unlikely, however, with a Department for Education spokesman insisting that “further education colleges are independent of government”.

“The decision to close Newton Rigg campus has been made by the governing body of Askham Bryan College, who are responsible for the effective and efficient use of its resources, the solvency of the institution and the safeguarding of its assets,” said the spokesman.

Newton Rigg is set to close this July with the loss of more than 100 jobs.