Nottingham College — group overview
Nottingham College operates as a multi-campus FE corporation group across East Midlands, delivering education to 23,000+ across Nottingham. The campus portfolio spans:
- Highfields Campus
- Adams Building
- Basford
- Maid Marian Way
At 23,000+ across Nottingham across 4 campus locations, Nottingham 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
Nottingham College Climate Action Plan aligned with Nottingham City Carbon Neutral by 2028 — the most ambitious UK city target.
Like every UK FE corporation, Nottingham 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
City Carbon Neutral by 2028 framework provides strong policy support. Estimated 1.0 MW PV potential. East Midlands MCA emerging as a funding route.
Total available roof area across the portfolio: 12,000+ 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 Nottingham 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
- Climate Action Plan compliance for Nottingham College colleges — board-approved Climate Action Plan compliance pathway
- ONS reclassification for FE colleges — the November 2022 policy change that unlocked Salix + PSDS for FE
- Interactive payback calculator — model the specific Nottingham College scenario
Sub-vertical mix at Nottingham College
The Nottingham College portfolio includes:
- General FE college solar — typical 200-600 kW per campus