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All systems go for new campus student accommodation
Posted on 20/06/2007
Loughborough Newsdesk
Construction of 1,300 new student bedrooms for the Loughborough University campus will begin this week. The £68 million accommodation project is being developed in partnership with the University Partnerships Programme (UPP) - the countrys leading university partner in student accommodation.
The project will be the largest single estate investment made by the University and has been undertaken using a structured finance solution, which allows the University to manage the accommodation, whilst it is owned and serviced by UPP. This long-term partnership will allow the University to release capital for investment in other areas of the institution, whilst also providing first rate on-campus accommodation, a considerable asset in attracting future students.
The new accommodation will be built on the site of an existing car park on the north side of campus. Three new halls for undergraduates and one new hall for postgraduates will be built. The overall development will be a mix of four and five storey buildings, arranged around a courtyard to identify the individual halls. The halls will be provided with self catering facilities but two of the halls will include flexible packages for the nearby restaurant and social centre.
UPP has considerable expertise in student residential accommodation, having committed well over £700 million of funding to the Higher Education sector since 1997 and with a portfolio of rooms in excess of 16,000. UPP has also attracted sufficient third party institutional investment to provide finance for projects totalling around £900m over the next five years.
The architect of the scheme is David Morley Architects and construction will be undertaken by leading UK contractor Laing ORourke. The first tasks will be to undertake diversions of existing utility services and place more than 15km of augered piles " enough to stretch from Loughborough to Leicester - to provide solid foundations for the new buildings. The actual buildings themselves will start to take shape before Christmas when pre-fabricated concrete panels will start to arrive on site. The panels, with door and window openings already in place, will be fitted together like a big jigsaw to create the bedrooms and flats. Bathroom pods will also be factory made and will be positioned in each room as works proceed.
Two halls will be ready for their first students in October 2008, with the third taking students in January 2009 and the fourth in October 2009.
Shirley Pearce, Vice Chancellor said: "We are delighted to have completed all the negotiations for this exciting project and we look forward to a successful construction phase.
"We are looking forward to seeing the final product, commented Union President Gemma Godfrey, "as a lot of hard work and dedication has been invested into this project and the Students Union has been kept part of the consultation at every stage, ensuring that the very best accommodation is provided to our students.
Sean OShea, Managing Director of UPP, said: "This is the first time we have partnered with Loughborough for the development of residential accommodation. Since the University was voted Best Student Experience at the 2006 Times Higher Awards, we are proud not only that this is a new partnership but also that we will be working together to develop an environment that is already setting the standard for UK universities.