STUDENTS have already started taking classes in the new Kendal College campus on most of the top floor of Westmorland Shopping Centre. 

Since the change of use application from retail to education was put through over a year ago, major work has been done to the empty units to turn them into spaces ready for students. 

The Westmorland Gazette: A glass door will go here marking the limit of the campus space A glass door will go here marking the limit of the campus space (Image: Newsquest, Daniel Pye)

Already the campus has a reception area, a social space, two computer labs, and the rooms that were formerly used as storage spaces and offices for the centre have been converted into six classrooms and a staff room.  Around 150 students currently use the campus. 

The Westmorland Gazette: Inside the reception area - the booths have been built into the unit Inside the reception area - the booths have been built into the unit (Image: Newsquest, Daniel Pye)

The next phase of the development will be to separate the Kendal College campus from the rest of the shopping centre by placing glass doors beyond the front of the market and CEX. The units that were used as an NHS vaccination centre during the pandemic and the old Superdrug will be converted into more classrooms, the escalators will be removed and the open space looking up to the glass ceiling will be made smaller so that area will have a campus feel. 

READ MORE: Kendal College plans for Westmorland Shopping Centre welcomed

The biggest project will be to convert a space that was used as a storage facility for an old bread shop into a large lecture theatre. There will be an access path around the new campus which will allow shoppers through from the multi-storey car park to the market hall. 

The Westmorland Gazette: Students in the new Mac roomStudents in the new Mac room (Image: Newsquest, Daniel Pye)

The approach Kendal College took to designing the classrooms was to work with the existing parts of the shopping centre, leaving pipes and bricks exposed.  

The Westmorland Gazette: This former bread store will become the lecture theatre This former bread store will become the lecture theatre (Image: Newsquest, Daniel Pye)

Kelvin Nash, the principal of Kendal College, said: "The college had been looking at space for probably the last four years - we had grown every year. We've grown so much that our current space is almost full, so we needed more space to both teach and for a social space for the students."

The Westmorland Gazette: One of the classrooms that has been converted from what was the office space for Westmorland Shopping Centre employees One of the classrooms that has been converted from what was the office space for Westmorland Shopping Centre employees (Image: Newsquest, Daniel Pye)

Other options were considered, such as the closed Beales, but in discussions with South Lakeland District Council and the owner of the shopping centre Praxis, it was thought that the campus could rejuvenate the area.  

The Westmorland Gazette: Looking down into the shopping centre from one of the new classrooms. The escalators will be removed in February and the open space will be made smaller to create a social space for the studentsLooking down into the shopping centre from one of the new classrooms. The escalators will be removed in February and the open space will be made smaller to create a social space for the students (Image: Newsquest, Daniel Pye)

Mr Nash hopes that phase two will be completed by summer next year, and phase three will be opening all the new facilities to the students.