Grantham College is set for a facelift with new glazing and roofing to its link and engineering blocks.

Members of the planning committee of South Kesteven District are recommended to approve the refurbishment when it meets later this month.

The college on Stonebridge Road seeks new windows, doors and fabric roof upgrade to a link and replace doors and windows in the engineering block, plus other works.

The application is due to be determined by councillors at the meeting of Thursday September 16 as it is considered a major application.

A report by council planning staff say the key issues to determine are the principle of development, impact on the character of the area, impact on Grantham Conservation Area and Neighbour Amenity.

It says the entire site is approximately 33,000m2 with various types of buildings, including a four-storey teaching building, and smaller two and one storey structures.

The buildings in the application - the engineering and link block are one and two storeys respectively. They are located centrally within the campus and are largely screened by other buildings within the site and by trees.

The application says in both blocks, the existing glazing has reached the end of its useful life.

"Furthermore, and due to the cost-effective post-war style aesthetic, the current openings - both within the curtain-walling runs, or as stand-alone windows - do not allow for the most-user friendly operation. "

It also said: "The existing flat roof build-up to the Link Block has several issues. It is thermally inefficient, compared to modern standards; it relies on hard-to access and maintain internal rain-water pipes; and it currently fails to adequately discharge surface water, resulting in ponding, which increases the risk to roof failures and encourages unwanted plant / grass / moss growth."

The application notes both local and national government support to conserve fuel, power and water.

It added: "These fabric refurbishment proposals aim to achieve this goal, whilst the replacement glazing and reroofing solutions have been designed to address user requirements, with practical and compliant products, to

unify the college's aesthetic, improving the local context." The council report noted no opposition from nearby residents and other stakeholders. Recommending approval, the council report concluded: "The proposal would not result in any substantial development, with no additional built form to the existing site, and the use of the site as a college would not be altered. "Having regard to the scale, design, and pattern of development within the immediate area, it is considered that the works would not lead to any significant adverse impact on the character of the area, setting of the surrounding Conservation Area and would also not lead to a significant impact on the amenities of neighbours. "The development would improve the appearance of the buildings and would be in accordance with relevant [local and national planning policies]."