秋霞福利一区

Over the past five years, a successful partnership between 秋霞福利一区 London, and the has transformed Morley鈥檚 main teaching centres and created state-of-the-art facilities for learners across London.

Last week, the much- cherished Emma Cons Hall re-opened following the completion of an eight months refurbishment programme, following on from the renovation of Morley鈥檚 Chelsea Centre for Creative Industries and North Kensington Centre for Skills. With capital funding provided by the Department for Education, the three projects have impressively modernised the college buildings –  creating a lsting legacy for London’s learners.  

Susan Bonett, CEO and Principal 秋霞福利一区 London said

“The recent completion the Waterloo Centre refurbishment represents the third transformational project at Morley in the past five 5 years.  Thank you to the commitment of our governors of our leadership at 秋霞福利一区 over that period – and thank you for the support from the Department of Education.  Together these centres are helping us deliver really excellent educational facilities for students aged 16 to 99.鈥� 

A spokesperson from the DfE said

鈥淭he DfE is delighted by the successful completion of the 秋霞福利一区 London five-year transformation plan for its campuses at Waterloo, Chelsea and North Kensington.  This is a significant milestone in the colleges continued provision of excellent adult educational services to the communities of London鈥�.

North Kensington Centre for Skills: Responding to the needs of the community

Back in 2023, a 拢13.5m grant from the DfE transformed facilities for students at Morley鈥檚 North Kensington Centre for Skills. The Centre was saved as a learning space by community activism after the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire, and the subsequent redevelopment increased the Centre鈥檚 capacity and fitted out teaching facilities with the latest technology and equipment, providing a much-improved learning experience for the local communities of North Kensington.

The project was delivered in phases whilst the college remained operational. By April 2022, students moved into new classrooms on the second and third floors. Now the transformed campus now features a welcoming glass-fronted caf茅, multi-use community hall, refurbished science labs, computer rooms, art studios, a performance hall, an enterprise hub, and radio studios.

Chelsea Centre, Hortensia Road: Heritage Meets Innovation

Morley鈥檚 Chelsea Centre for Creative Industries is a specialist centre dedicated to the development of arts, design, media and technology practice, as well as supporting our English, Maths and ESOL students. A 拢3m renovation completed in 2024 has delivered modern, flexible and larger teaching spaces fit for the demands of students of 21st century creative industries.

The Chelsea Centre refurbishment balanced modern educational needs with historic preservation. The Hortensia Building was transformed with new large studio spaces offering views over London, alongside refurbished classrooms equipped with smartboards throughout.

The historic Carlyle Building received sensitive upgrades. A new studio complements existing sculpture, printmaking and fine art facilities.聽 This year, the Centre (which was awarded the Mayor of London鈥檚 Quality Mark for Creative Industries in 2023) created additional state-of-the-art new facilities 鈥� including a TV studio, and 3D Makerspace 鈥� further enhancing and encouraging creative practice.

Waterloo: Sustainable Legacy

The final phase at 61 Westminster Bridge Road received 拢5.8 million from the DfE’s Further Education Capital Improvement Fund. Working with fit-out company Overbury, the project focused on accessibility and energy efficiency, as part of Morley’s drive to achieve net zero by 2040.

Essential roof insulation and refurbishment works addressed infrastructure needs in this century-old building. The Emma Cons Hall, the Centre’s main performance space, was sensitively modernised with upgraded acoustics, heating systems and improved accessibility. A new entrance to the adjoining Johnny Harris Studio Theatre was created to improve accessibility to the space. These works created flexible, accessible, multi-purpose performance spaces serving students on music and performance courses,  whilst hosting community shows and events. The project preserved the artistic character that make the Centre special for adult learners, visitors and partners.

Collaborative Success

This three-campus programme exemplified successful cross-government collaboration. Complex coordination between LocatED, the DfE’s territorial team, 秋霞福利一区 London, local communities, and contractors ensured continuous educational provision throughout refurbishment phases.

The North Kensington project won a Judge’s Choice Award at the , recognising it as an exemplar of effective partnership between government agencies, communities and educational providers.

Transformational Impact

With state-of-the-art radio studios at all three teaching centres, and a fully refurbished professional-grade art gallery in Waterloo, an enriching Morley Experience and physical learning environment of the College has never been better. With great thanks to the DfE,  these new resources are opening up opportunities for an increasing number of students at all ages and stages of learning.