Barnsley College University Centre wins second award in a month

Barnsley College University Centre’s landmark transformation has received further recognition after winning its second award in a month.

The project was named Heritage Project of the Year at the 2026 South Yorkshire Property Awards, with judges recognising the team’s outstanding work in sensitively transforming the 93-year-old building into an EPC A-rated centre of innovation.

Barnsley College Principal and Chief Executive Officer David Akeroyd said: “This project has been years in the making and represents the hard work, vision and commitment of so many colleagues and partners.

“Together, we have taken a unique building that once stood as a symbol of Barnsley’s mining and technological excellence and reimagined it for the future, while keeping it where it has always historically been – at the cutting-edge of technical education.”

The award capped a successful evening for Barnsley, with several other projects from across the town also recognised.

For the College, the win follows earlier success at the Constructing Excellence Yorkshire and Humber Awards, where the £19m University Centre project received the Retrofit of the Year prize.

Located on Church Street in Barnsley town centre, Barnsley College University Centre officially opened in September 2025.

The opening was attended by Barnsley MPs Dan Jarvis and Dr Marie Tidball, alongside College representatives and stakeholders including G F Tomlinson, AECOM, Salix, the Department for Education (DfE), and the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology (SYIoT).

Originally opened in 1932, the building cost £110,012 to build and furnish – equivalent to roughly £6.7m today, according to the Bank of England’s inflation calculator.

Across its 93-year history, it has served a range of purposes while maintaining a strong connection to education.