Sustainability
Our Net Zero Commitment
We’re continually improving the sustainability of our campuses and working towards our net zero goals. By investing more than £1 million in green technologies, we’ve already made a real difference. Our latest carbon reporting shows we’ve reduced our carbon footprint by 166 tonnes (15%) in the past year, marking another important step on our journey to Net Zero.
Why Now?
As one of the leading education providers in the local area, we’re committed to making a positive impact on our community. By working closely with local businesses and partners, we’re ensuring our sustainability goals reflect the needs of the area. We’ve already introduced a range of projects to reduce our carbon footprint, with even more initiatives planned as we continue our journey towards a more sustainable future.
What We’ve Done So Far
Solar panels
600kw of solar panels installed across both campuses have already seen the College’s energy requirements reduce by 20% and the addition of LED lighting across both campuses means that NCS is significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
Campus improvement
Major improvement works at the Queens Drive Campus have seen £1 million spent to replace the roof on the main building as well as replacing the plant equipment for the buildings air conditioning and air handling systems.
Planting trees
315 trees, donated by the Woodland Trust have been planted on the North Star Campus and we continue to work with the Woodland Trust into 2026.
Diverting waste
From April 2025 we are working with Hills Waste management offering a more local solution to disposing of our waste in the most sustainable way possible. Hills believe in recycling as much waste as possible and diverting waste away from landfills, using landfill only when there are no viable alternative solutions. They are also keen to generate energy from waste wherever possible too.
Removing fossil fuels
Major improvements to the professional kitchen and hospitality facilities in our Lyra building on the North Star campus. Removing the gas fossil fuels has allowed us to move to electric heating/ cooling and hot water systems supported by the installation of solar PV, further reducing our carbon footprint.
Thermal improvements
The Motor Vehicle Centre has had a new roof, and the building cladded to ensure the equipment and cars are secure, also supporting thermal improvements. With the addition of 50kw of solar panels this greatly improves the green credentials of the Motor Vehicle Centre.
A Year of Growth at New College Swindon
Over the past 12 months, our Estates and Facilities team has completed a range of projects designed to improve both our campuses and the student experience. Sustainability has been at the heart of every project, helping us create more inclusive, environmentally friendly spaces while enhancing our learning and training facilities.
The new Student Welcome Hub at our North Star Campus opened in January 2026, creating a bright, modern space for students, staff and visitors. Designed with accessibility, safety and sustainability in mind, the building features automatic entrance doors, secure access controls, turnstiles and intercom systems.
Lifts provide easy access throughout the building and connect seamlessly with the existing Lyra and Phoenix buildings. From here, students can access a range of facilities, including our accessible gym, games arcade, refectory and Learning Resource Centre (LRC). The Welcome Hub also provides secure access for visitors to our student-run restaurant and Hair & Beauty training facilities, giving students valuable opportunities to gain real industry experience.
A new building was completed in October 2025, creating a dedicated space for green skills training, including Electric Vehicle (EV) technology. The facility has been designed to provide an accessible and inclusive learning environment, featuring specialist training areas, accessible facilities and cycle storage to support sustainable travel.
The building also includes EV charging points and an additional 62kW of solar panel capacity, helping us continue to invest in renewable energy and reduce our environmental impact as we work towards achieving Net Zero.
As part of the project we have also planted an additional 20 mature trees.
At our Queens Drive Campus, we completed an extensive remodelling project during summer 2025 to create more accessible and inclusive spaces for students. The improvements have made it easier for students to access the support they need in a welcoming environment designed around their wellbeing.
The updated facilities bring together key support services, including wellbeing, safeguarding, counselling and nursing. The spaces have been thoughtfully designed with neurodiversity in mind, incorporating features such as mood lighting, calming colour schemes, adjustable lighting levels, and discreet entrances and routes to help students feel comfortable and supported. Furniture and layouts were also carefully considered to create a welcoming environment that meets the diverse needs of our students.
We have also introduced dedicated Brew Rooms for colleagues, providing comfortable spaces to relax and recharge during their breaks.
Within the Queens Drive Campus toilet areas were remodelled and formed into 29 new gender neutral toilet areas with 5 accessible toilet facilities.
At the North Star Campus we have refurbished a number of the landscaped areas including further planting of trees to the areas landscaped for the new welcome hub as well as the Green Technology Centre building.
We have continued to strengthen security across our campuses, creating a safe and supportive environment where students, staff and visitors can feel confident. Alongside expanding our security team, we have introduced a range of additional measures and improvements, including:
- Enhanced fencing at the rear of North Star Campus
- Manual security barriers used outside operational hours
- Additional CCTV coverage
- Improved access control systems
- Automatic car park barriers at the EV Training Centre
- New security turnstiles at Queens Drive Campus
These improvements form part of our ongoing commitment to providing safe, welcoming and inclusive spaces across the College.
We now have 775KW of solar PV systems that are providing in excess of 25% of the electrical demands of the college averaged across the year.
We are continuing to reduce carbon emissions across our estate by moving away from traditional gas-powered systems and investing in more sustainable alternatives. As part of this work, we installed new electric heating systems in the Motor Vehicle building during summer 2025, which are connected to our solar energy system to help reduce reliance on energy from the grid.
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Recognising Future Skills Gaps in the Green Energy Industry
Our Green Technology Training Hub is now fully operational, providing a state-of-the-art facility designed to support the growing demand for skills in the Electric Vehicle (EV) industry. The hub gives learners and industry professionals access to specialist training, developing the practical knowledge and experience needed to support the transition to electric mobility.
As the number of zero-emission vehicles continues to grow, so does the need for skilled technicians who can maintain and support this evolving technology. Recognising this demand, New College Swindon has invested in creating a dedicated facility to provide high-quality Electric and Hybrid vehicle training, helping to prepare the future workforce and support the needs of local and regional employers.
Our Future Plans
We recognise there is tonnes more to be done and have the following plans in place for the next few years, including:
- A focus on introducing additional air source heat pumps and solar panels across all sites.
