Dave, interesting of you to counter my speculation and rumour with your own proof that they'll have enough money and the funds will be reinvested into Marple by 'roughly estimating' what you think is will cost to renovate theBuxton Lane site based on absolutely nothing but your own guessing!
I think what the spreadsheets show is that college numbers are decreasing, and it would be interesting to see this years student intake. I stand by my belief that the money would not necessarily all be reinvested into Marple, and that the Cheadle site, with it's quite dramatic drop in numbers, would receive some of that benefit. Like I said, it's what you believe and why. Again, given Dave you think that the books are sound at the college, i don't believe that the large supermarket on the Hibbert Lane site is in any way the answer to getting the college money it professes to need, given the collateral impact I believe it would have, and your guesstimations as to costs to turn Buxton Lane into this superb facility don't inspire any confidence in me at all.
I'd add that this argument is pretty shaky even if you only consider the college, and don't take any of the extraneous factors into account. That you are happy to risk the rest of the problems the shop could cause to Marple on this gamble is quite frightening to me.