Sir Paul McCartney's LIPA school plans big expansion for 100 more student places

More than 100 new student places could be created if a major three-storey expansion to the world renowned Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) Sixth Form College is approved.

The extension to the the music college on Upper Duke Street, which attracts students from around the globe, would create space for 110 more places. A planning application has been lodged with Liverpool City Council after a huge slice of government funding was allocated for the project.

LIPA is based on the site of the old Liverpool Institute for Boys on Mount Street, which Sir Paul McCartney attended. When the building fell into disrepair, The Beatles star stepped in to give it a new lease of life and founded LIPA in 1996.

Funds for a further revamp were secured via a successful application to the Department of Education’s ‘Post 16 Expansion Fund’. The LIPA project has been awarded the largest allocation nationally, equating to half the total fund available.

The scheme would include seven new music practice rooms and a live music space, with the extension wrapped around the existing Willy Russell Studio Theatre. A date has yet to be confirmed for the plans to be considered by Liverpool Council’s planning department.