Multi-million pound upgrade for Leeds-based animal care and land studies centre

A £6 million expansion of Leeds City College’s School of Animal care and Land Management is underway.

The upgrade to the college’s site at Temple Newsam, Leeds, is designed to open up training to many more young people who have a passion for animals, plants or the land.

The work involves creating a brand new building, capable of accommodating more than 300 students, that will include a dog grooming salon, seven classrooms, a reception area and support rooms.

On top of this the college, through its contractor Triton Construction, is also restoring Rose Lodge, an existing Listed Building on the site which has been empty for years, to provide office space.

Growing to meet rising demand

Head of the college’s School of Animal Care and Land Management, Jack Anderson, said:

“There is a growing demand for the kinds of courses that we are fortunate to be able to offer from our base in the fantastic grounds of Temple Newsam.

“This development, which is being supported by £4.4 million of Department for Education funding, will allow us to expand our offering to meet that demand and help more people take their first steps into rewarding careers in everything from zookeeping and pet care to conservation and veterinary practice work.

“The state-of-the-art new facilities will also enable us to start introducing additional courses, in fields like dog grooming, floristry and agriculture, to complement our existing provision.

“It’s an exciting time and we’re really looking forward to showing students, prospective students and guests around when the work is completed later this year.”

Hands-on experience in a spectacular setting

Set amidst the Temple Newsam Estate’s 1,500 acres of parkland, lakes, gardens and woods, the School runs its own animal care centre for over 50 species of small animals. 

Students also get hands-on experience working with a variety of animals including pigs, sheep and goats at Home Farm, a working conservation farm that is home to one of Europe’s largest rare breed centres.

The estate as a whole is a protected area, so the college designed its new building to ensure it would blend in with the surrounding environment and existing properties.

Mr Anderson said:

“It is a privilege for us to be able to deliver land and animal-based education from a spectacular countryside location like this one, which allows us to really bring the training to life – and yet is only five miles from the centre of Leeds.

“We are seeing more and more interest in the type of courses we are offering, and a lot of that is coming from young people who have grown up in towns and cities.

“We can’t wait to welcome many more along to our expanded base at Temple Newsam.”

Opening up exciting careers

The college leases its site at Temple Newsam from Leeds City Council, which owns the estate. The council’s Executive Member for Environment, Councillor James Gibson, said: “We’re delighted that Leeds City College has secured government funding to expand its base at Temple Newsam, creating opportunities for more students and opening up some exciting new courses to help young people develop the skills and experience they need for rewarding future careers.”

Contracts manager for Triton Construction, Steve Kelly, added:

“We are delighted to be able to deliver this timber-framed, Passivhaus education project for Leeds City College.

“There has been significant collaboration between the client and the design team to ensure this project is delivered with minimal disturbance to the existing site facilities.”

The courses offered by the School range from applied animal management and behaviour to work-based horticulture.

Many of its animal management students progress to Higher Education programmes, while others head directly into employment.

The School’s new building is on course to be completed in September this year.