Plans approved for Emmanuel College’s new $16m Edmund Rice Learning Centre in Warrnambool
A Warrnambool school’s plans to build a purpose-built Year 9 centre have been approved. See the designs.
Warrnambool
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Plans have been approved for a new multimillion dollar learning centre for year nine students at Warrnambool’s Emmanuel College.
The $16m contemporary precinct would be built at the rear of the McAuley Campus, adjacent to the Mercy Place aged care facility, and would hold up to 250 students.
Principal Peter Morgan said there was a “palpable sense of excitement” about the new centre.
“We’ve had a master plan now for many years, over a decade, looking at where the centre is going and how it’s going to be developed.
“This is one of those missing links in that and now there’s a real clarity about what’s happening,” he said.
He said the main benefit of the centre was the consolidation of all students onto one campus as the school was currently spread over two campuses.
“I think the second significant benefit is the Edmund Rice Centre is being purpose-built and designed for the 9@RICE program that it will be housing and that’s what our year nine students undertake,” he said.
“It’s everything they need under the one roof.”
The campus being replaced with the Edmund Rice Centre is currently called the ‘Rice’ campus, which is a reference to the history of the campus and in particular the history to the Christian Brothers founded by Edmund Rice - an Irishman who set up a free school in Ireland for young boys.
“Moving off that campus in 2025, we wanted to be able to retain a link and a reference to the history of that school that existed there for over 100 years so as time goes on it doesn’t simply become lost and unknown and that it will be perpetuated there in the name of this new development,” he said.
Mr Morgan said the centre would be the school's most expansive and expensive project in its 150-year history.
The project will be funded by $2M from the federal government, with the remainder to be paid for by parent contributions and the college.
Late last year Labor senator for Victoria Raff Ciccone visited Emmanuel College to see the location of the new learning centre and discuss the planning.
“The teachers, staff and students at Emmanuel College have built a strong and positive school community and these new facilities will further enhance our local educational opportunities,” Senator Ciccone said.
“I congratulate Emmanuel College on their successful grant application and look forward to seeing the positive impact these new facilities will have on the school community.”
Planning for the facility has been underway for 12 months.
It is anticipated the build will be completed by 2024, with the first group of year nine students starting in the centre at the beginning of 2025.
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