A REVOLUTIONARY sixth form centre set for south Suffolk will give the children of Hadleigh a brighter future, according to a leading figure in the town.

A REVOLUTIONARY sixth form centre set for south Suffolk will give the children of Hadleigh a brighter future, according to a leading figure in the town.

The £60million SWISS Centre, which will cater for more than 2,000 youngsters aged 14-19, was given the go-ahead when councillors unanimously backed the development on Thursday.

Earmarked for land to the south of London Road and Scrivener Drive in Ipswich, the three-storey building will be in easy reach of Hadleigh, which has never had facilities for sixth form education.

David Grutchfield, Suffolk County councillor for Hadleigh, said the centre would provide a wider range of opportunities for teenagers to carve a career for themselves.

Mr Grutchfield, who has campaigned for a sixth form in Hadleigh for 20 years, said: “It is an excellent scheme. There will be facilities there that they wouldn't have had before. They will get greater qualifications and better jobs.”

Planning officers refused to allocate any parking to students as part of its environmental commitments, but Mr Grutchfield has welcomed plans for a free bus service which will operate between Hadleigh and the centre.

Proposals for the centre have come under some criticism amid fears that an influx of students would create extra traffic and force residents to foot a £120,000-a-year parking enforcement scheme on their streets.

The development is set to open in September 2010 and will replace the existing post-16 education at Chantry High School, Claydon and Thurleston high schools, Westbourne Sports College and Belstead and Thomas Wolsey special schools.

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