South Staffordshire College

We have completed a new central campus building for South Staffordshire College in the historic heart of Tamworth, marking a significant milestone in the town’s wider regeneration. Delivered following an invited competition, the project creates an open and inclusive home for further education while strengthening connections between the college and the town centre.

Part‑funded by the Government’s Future High Streets Fund, the scheme replaces a redundant department store with a modern, civic‑minded building. Occupying a prominent corner site within Tamworth Borough Council’s wider town‑centre masterplan, the building faces the market square and the Grade I listed medieval Church of St Editha.

A contemporary building shaped by Tamworth’s historic fabric

The design is rooted in a detailed study of Tamworth’s historic urban grain, reintroducing patterns of scale, rhythm and permeability that were lost during 1960s redevelopment.

The building’s location presented an opportunity to reanimate St Editha’s Square. A more civic frontage engages directly with the square through a series of playful openings reflecting the vocational spaces behind, while the framed north façade of general teaching spaces references the architectural rhythm of historic burgage plots that once defined the area. A carefully articulated roofscape establishes a subtle visual dialogue with the surrounding townscape.

Supporting Tamworth’s long‑term renewal

At the heart of the building is a generous central student space, lit by a pair of four-storey lightwells. This light-filled hub offers views into the various specialist teaching departments, supporting intuitive wayfinding while providing informal areas for student meetings, workspace and events. The building’s community-facing uses—including the hairdressing salon and café—front the town square, establishing active public engagement at street level.

By consolidating several outdated facilities into a single town‑centre location, the new campus brings students, staff and visitors directly into Tamworth’s retail core. The project supports the town’s ambition to increase footfall, encourage local spending and deliver high‑quality education and training in modern, well‑equipped spaces.

The project was delivered with Peter Marsh Consulting acting as strategic client advisor and client project managers, developing the estate strategy, coordinating the negotiations and securing funding from a complex cocktail of sources including Homes England, Future High Street Funds and the Department for Education.