ABINGDON and Witney College is a step closer to revamping its Witney campus.

West Oxfordshire District Council gave conditional approval to the college’s planning application for a new teaching building and refurbishment and extension of existing buildings.

The college submitted the £7.5m plans to the council in September, a year after its original plans had fallen through when the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) cut £28m of funding.

The new buildings will include TV and radio studios, editing suites, two beauty salons, two hairdressing salons, art and design studios, science labs, library and IT facilities.

The Skills Funding Agency – which replaced the LSC – pledged £1m and the college paid the rest, mostly through borrowing.

Vice principal Di Batchelor said the college was delighted to be a step closer to making the campus revamp happen.

She said: “It’s exciting news and it’s sooner than we expected.”

Planning officer Phil Shaw, who recommended conditional approval, said the plan would add “vitality and viability of the town centre”.

The Environment Agency had concerns that drainage at the college might not be suitable and that this could lead to flash-flooding.

The college will now need to run tests on the drainage.