Leeds College of Building Expands North Street Campus

New site acquisition aims to enhance construction training facilities

Leeds College of Building (LCB) has acquired a substantial building adjacent to its North Street Campus, marking a significant expansion of its facilities. The newly purchased property, a 5,000 square metre former Vodafone site on Melbourne Street, will increase the size of the college’s estate by approximately one third.

The acquisition is expected to bolster LCB’s capacity to provide education and training in the construction and built environment sector, an area in which the college has been active for over 60 years. The college is the UK’s only specialist further education institution dedicated to this sector and collaborates with more than 800 employers, including major firms such as NG Bailey, BAM Nuttall, Morgan Sindall, and JN Bentley.

Plans and future development

Planning is underway to determine how best to develop the additional space to address regional skills shortages. The college is seeking funding to support renovation works and to equip the new site with specialist facilities. These developments will focus on government priority areas including infrastructure, sustainability, and new housing.

LCB’s CEO and Principal, Nikki Davis, who also represents the further education sector on the Construction Skills Mission Board, commented on the acquisition:

“This exciting acquisition will enable us to train even more construction professionals and safeguard a talent pipeline in areas such as groundwork for future construction projects across the region.”

“This expansion is a significant step towards our ambition for growth as one of the nation’s only Construction Technical Excellence Colleges – strengthening a vital workforce that will keep the construction industry, and our economy, moving forward.”

Regional and government support

The expansion aligns with government targets outlined in the Skills White Paper, which aims to create 60,000 new skilled jobs by the end of the current Parliament. The college is optimistic about securing investment and support from government and regional partners, including the West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin welcomed the development, stating:

“It’s fantastic to see Leeds College of Building going from strength to strength, first being recognised as the Technical Excellence College for Construction for all of Yorkshire and the Humber and now expanding into these exciting new premises.”

“By training the skilled workers we need for transformational projects like constructing tramlines, building new homes and retrofitting existing ones, Leeds College of Building puts our region at the epicentre of the nation’s rebuilding effort, creating good jobs and putting more money in people’s pockets.”

Construction Technical Excellence College status

In August, LCB was named one of the first Construction Technical Excellence Colleges (CTEC), a status awarded to only 10 colleges across England for the 2025–2026 academic year. LCB represents the Yorkshire and the Humber region within this network, which aims to partner with local training providers and employers to improve standards and train up to 40,000 people in high-demand construction trades by 2029.

Nikki Davis added:

“With government backing and the support of our partners, we can start to build a stronger future for both our students and the UK construction sector.”

Recent and future campus developments

The building purchase was facilitated by Holder & Co, an independent commercial property consultancy based in Horsforth. This acquisition follows a £750,000 renovation programme completed last year at the North Street Campus, which transformed the site over eight weeks.

Once refurbished, the Melbourne Street building will complement LCB’s modern South Bank Campus, which has seen significant development with new buildings opened in 2015 and 2019.