COLLEGE chiefs have been given £70,000 to study the future of the campus in Greenock — with the Sugar Sheds touted as an alternative location.

Bosses at the West College Scotland (WCS) Finnart Street facility have been given the sum from the Scottish Government to investigate the ‘fabric of the building’.

Local MSP Stuart McMillan has raised the issue on several occasions as to what support will be provided to make improvements.

The SNP man also mooted the idea of the college relocating to Greenock’s historic Sugar Sheds to bring the building back into use should the Finnart Street campus be deemed no longer suitable.

Two years ago Mr McMillan wrote to the then James Watt College (JWC) management and various agencies, including the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) — the government’s higher and further education funding body — calling for a feasibility study to be carried out to look into the idea.

The MSP is now happy that financial support to the tune of £70,000 has been provided to explore the future of the Greenock site.

Mr McMillan said: “I am pleased to learn from the Scottish Government that funding of £70,000 has been provided to help undertake a business case outlining options for the Greenock campus.

“Alongside this, the Scottish Government has invested £26.6 million of capital funding to the SFC to support infrastructure investment across the sector.

“The issue of the fabric of the building at the Greenock campus of WCS is something I have raised in the past, with the Scottish Government and I also called for a feasibility study to be undertaken to determine whether an alternative location can be sought for the campus at Inverclyde.

“As I previously highlighted, the question of the condition of the building in the years to come needs to be posed, as it’s vital we do not leave any future infrastructure works to the last minute.

“Therefore, I am aware that the SFC has held discussions with WCS regarding options for its Greenock campus and it is developing a 10-year strategy that will form the basis of discussions with the Scottish Government during the 2016 spending review.” And there could be more investment on the way. Mr McMillan, below, asked Scottish education minister Angela Constance about the issue in parliament and also specifically asked whether the government will consider any proposals from WCS regarding the fabric of its building in the next spending review period.

The Cabinet Secretary said: “The SFC has, been in discussion with WCS and has recently provided £70,000 to help it to develop a business case outlining options for the Greenock campus.” But the comments come little over a year since £5.6m was spent on a raft of improvements at the Finnart Street campus, including new workshops, training kitchens and restaurant, and social spaces for staff and students. The project was planned by the former JWC and was taken forward following the merger with Reid Kerr College in Paisley and Clydebank College.

New WCS principal Audrey Cumberford said at the time it was an ‘an expression of the commitment’ to Inverclyde.