Planning permission granted for CAPA College’s (Creative and Performing Arts College) new, permanent home on Mulberry Way, Wakefield
Today planning permission was granted for a new, permanent home for CAPA College (Creative and Performing Arts College) on Mulberry Way (opposite Wakefield Westgate train station). The state of the art, multi-million pound facilities will house dance, drama and singing studios as well as industry-standard production facilities, a 150-seat theatre, a public cafe with outdoor terrace and an amphitheatre.
‘We’re absolutely thrilled at today’s news,’ says Strategic Director Claire Nicholson. ‘This building is about much more than bricks and mortar, it is about being in a position to offer more opportunities, more facilities and more support to talented and creative young people from across Yorkshire and the North of England.’
Since opening its doors as Wakefield’s first DfE-funded Free School within Enhance Academy Trust in September 2018, CAPA College has set its sights on becoming a flagship for Arts education in the North. It has already enjoyed a phenomenal couple of terms with a range of professional workshops, creative projects and live performances at The Hepworth Wakefield, Cast in Doncaster and ExCeL London.
This year CAPA College received an unprecedented number of applications for September 2019. It was heavily oversubscribed across all of the four course pathways: Dance, Drama, Musical Theatre and Production Arts & Media. The new facilities will enable the college to significantly increase their intake to 500 students across two year groups ensuring that as many students as possible have access to professional Arts tuition and training.
‘We passionately believe that talented and creative young people aged 16-19 should have access to the best Performing and Creative Arts education and training right here in the North of England’ says Artistic Director Eddie Copp. ‘We inspire, train and educate the next generation of performers, creatives, designers and technicians. CAPA College is a vital stepping stone to professional Arts employment as well as higher education and national and international conservatoires.’
Construction work is expected to start in late Spring with the project complete in September 2020. In the meantime CAPA College will continue to rent temporary facilities around Wakefield.
