A new sixth form centre in Swindon might be scuppered - because the landowner wants to let the site out to a commercial client.

The Park Academies Trust, which runs two of Swindon’s biggest secondary schools, runs a sixth form at its Grange Park Way site, next to the secondary school there.

But the trust wants to move to a new site at Arclite House in Peatmoor, near the junction on Mead Way and Peatmoor Way, because the site is equidistant between the two schools it runs - Abbey Park School and Lydiard Park School.

The building and site are owned by Luton Borough Council, based 62 miles away, and the academies trust says its bid to rent the building from the council has been stymied because the council prefers a commercial tenant.

Benedick Ashmore-Short, the chief executive of the Trust said: ”Our students are hard-working and ambitious and we’ve seen remarkable achievements from Swindon’s sixth formers in recent years with an increase in A Level studies and successful applications to top universities.

"It feels as though our students are having a great opportunity taken away from them because the new centre would give the town’s young people even better chances of achieving their academic goals and aspirations.”

The head of Sixth Form at the trust, Owen Russell added: “Swindon used to have one the lowest rates of students progressing onto university in the whole country, now we see two thirds of our sixth form leavers entering Higher Education with a third of these securing places at the top universities in the UK.

"We want to expand and encourage even more students to fulfil their dreams but it feels as though Swindon’s sixth formers are being held back by unnecessary bureaucratic red tape.”

The trust is supported by South Swindon MP Sir Robert Buckland, who wants Luton council to change its mind.

Luton Borough Council said: “The site in question is part of the council’s property portfolio and our agents operate it in order to maximise its financial value for the benefit of Luton’s residents.

“The income from our property portfolio directly funds vital council services.

“We were approached in 2022 by the Parks Academies Trust to see if we would be prepared to allow the building to be used for educational purposes.

"Having carefully considered this proposition we concluded that the building best serves the purposes of the people of Luton by continuing to be made available solely for commercial office-use.”