Sharing the University’s plans as part of a wider vision for Yorkshire

Dennis Hopper, Director of Facilities Management, shares the University’s plans as part of a wider vision for Yorkshire.

Sharing our vision for campus and seeking views and comments from regional stakeholders is of great importance to us.

We have held a number of meetings recently with the stakeholders in the Leeds City Region which have all received positive feedback. Members of the Leeds Civic Trust were enthused and very supportive of our ambitious plans to create a world class campus. Ongoing consultation and discussion are vital components in the implementation of our plan, and we are currently planning a consultation event with members of the local community.

The key to understanding the campus development plan is to recognise that it is rooted in the University’s Strategic Plan, with its ambitions for the growth and development of our research capability, academic cohort and the student body.

The campus development plan has been explicitly formulated to support and answer these needs. Although we have completed, and are planning, the construction of new buildings –work on the University Centre for Innovation and Enterprise and the Engineering and Physical Sciences development will both begin in the next year – the plan is not purely about new projects. It also encompasses a huge amount of enhancement, upgrading and maintenance works taking place on campus. As well as the significant ongoing refurbishments in the Schools of Medicine and Engineering and the Edward Boyle Library, we are also carrying out many smaller projects and works relating to campus infrastructure, pedestrianisation, separation of traffic, and maximising our green spaces. Current works alone are costing in the region of £150m – and much more is planned for the future.

There is an enormous amount of work taking place and this summer we will see a peak of activity. However, by September some key projects will be completed – the extension and refurbishment of the Institute for Transport Studies, the relocation of the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies to the remodelled former School of Geography building, and the first phase of improvements to the Edward Boyle Library – and I hope that once staff, students and visitors see the new and improved facilities they will be pleased with the results!

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