New City College — group overview
New City College operates as a multi-campus FE corporation group across East London and Essex, delivering education to 32,000+ across East London and Essex. The campus portfolio spans:
- Tower Hamlets College
- Hackney Community College
- Redbridge College
- Epping Forest College
- Havering College of Further and Higher Education
At 32,000+ across East London and Essex across 5 campus locations, New City College is one of the larger entities in the UK FE sector. Multi-campus group corps of this scale benefit from significant procurement and bidding economies of scale — a single Salix or PSDS Phase 4 application can cover the entire portfolio, with phased delivery aligned to each campus's term-time calendar.
Sustainability commitment and Climate Action Plan
New City College Climate Action Plan aligned with AoC Climate Action Roadmap; GLA Net Zero by 2030 framework applies to the East London campuses.
Like every UK FE corporation, New City College sits within scope of the November 2022 ONS reclassification — meaning Salix Decarbonisation Loans and PSDS Phase 4 capital grants are fully accessible for portfolio solar programmes. The AoC and EAUC Climate Action Roadmap (Nov 2024) requires a board-approved Climate Action Plan; for a multi-campus group corp of this scale, solar PV is the single most defensible lead intervention available — auditable, photographable, photographically evidenced across multiple campuses simultaneously.
Solar opportunity assessment
East London campuses access high electricity tariffs typical of inner London — lifts payback economics. Essex campuses access different funding pots. Estimated 1.3 MW PV potential across the portfolio.
Total available roof area across the portfolio: 15,000+ sqm across the portfolio. At a typical 75% utilisation rate (after exclusions for plant, rooflights, shading, wayleaves), this gives a portfolio PV ceiling consistent with the estimated capacity stated above.
Funding stack for New City College
The optimal funding structure for a group corp portfolio programme of this scale typically combines:
- Salix Decarbonisation Loan — single portfolio bid covering all campuses
- PSDS Phase 4 capital grant — typically paired with air-source heat pump or building fabric on the largest campuses
- MCA decarbonisation grants — applicable per campus based on the relevant devolved authority
- FE Capital Transformation Fund — embedded sustainability inside major estate transformation
Sub-vertical mix at New City College
The New City College portfolio includes:
- General FE college solar — typical 200-600 kW per campus