PLANS for a new sixth-form college have now been officially lodged with Bradford Council.

The Dixons Academies Trust plans to open the new post-16 college in Douglas Mill, Bowling Old Lane, on a neighbouring site to the group’s flagship school Dixons City Academy.

The sixth form is due to open in September 2019 and will offer 360 places to Year 12 students in its first year, with the aim of increasing capacity to 440 each year from 2020.

The building has been used as offices for staff from the NHS Bradford and Districts and Craven Clinical Commissioning Groups, who are due to move to Scorex House, Bolton Road, next month.

The application sets out that a new sports hall will be built to accompany the college and the building’s coach house will be restored to provide changing rooms, storage space and offices.

Documents submitted as part of the application say: “This proposed development will provide a much needed sixth-form education facility in the south of Bradford and will be operated by Dixons Academies Bradford as a non-denominational academy.

“The school will have no faith designation and there will be a strong focus on sciences to ensure that the school meets the needs of the local community.

“In order to allow the sixth-form academy to open as soon as possible it is intended to implement a phased occupation of the new facility.

“It is intended that the conversion of the basement, ground and first floor of the Douglas Mill will be completed by August 2019 to allow around 360 pupils to occupy the new academy.

“It is anticipated that the remaining construction works will be completed by early 2020 with the academy operating at its 880-place capacity shortly after.”

The application says the existing coach house will be “sensitively renovated” to ensure the building can be brought back into use and that its condition does not deteriorate further.

It adds: “The new sports hall building will be located within the existing car park and immediately adjacent to the coach house.

“The sports hall will be subtly connected to the converted coach house by way of a glazed link which will also serve as the principal access to the two buildings.”

Wesley Davies, who will act as the school’s executive principal, said the new sixth form will be the “pinnacle” of a Dixons education.

This development will mark the second new college in the area as Bradford Council has approved a £19 million scheme to build a sixth-form college on the former site of Britannia Mills, off Portland Street and next to Trafalgar House Police Headquarters. New College Bradford will eventually have 1,200 students.