Photosales
niJobfinder
niCarfinder
Home Delivery
Propertynews
UU scheme a £250m boost for economy
Construction industry to benefit from plans for NW campuses
Monday, 2 February 2009
The University of Ulster today revealed details of a major development plan costing more than £250m which will result in the majority of its Jordanstown courses moving to the Belfast campus.
The university also detailed plans which will result in the expansion of student numbers at Magee College and the construction of a new business park in Coleraine.
The ambitious £250m scheme — which will provide a much-needed jobs boost to Northern Ireland’s construction industry — includes the building of a landmark building adjacent to its existing Belfast campus in the city's Cathedral Quarter area.
The master plan will impact on all four of the university's campuses and will result in the majority of its Jordanstown courses moving to the Belfast campus while the Co Antrim site is due to be developed as a leading sports centre.
All of the developments will be funded out of the university's capital budget with £250m allocated to the Greater Belfast campuses (Jordanstown and Belfast). The total investment in the North West campuses (Magee and Coleraine) and further detail on these plans will be announced next Monday.
The university said that the major strategic development plans are designed to “spearhead higher education in Northern Ireland over the next decade” and will also “rebalance” student numbers between the city centre campus and Jordanstown. The scheme represents the largest investment in the university's history.
The work in Belfast — which includes the UU expanding into the Interpoint Building — is also likely to create jobs for the beleaguered local construction industry which has taken a heavy hit recently as a result of the economic downturn.
Jordanstown is the largest of the four UU sites — with 13,200 students and 1,700 staff. This compares with 1,200 students and 300 staff based at the Belfast campus in the Cathedral Quarter.
The Belfast campus recently benefited from a £30m refurbishment and redevelopment programme and currently consists of two separate buildings connected via a suspended walkway above York Street. It is home to the School of Art and Design and the School of Architecture and Design.
In December the Telegraph revealed that the UU was planning to move many of its courses from Jordanstown to its Belfast campus.
Speaking at this morning's announcement at the Belfast campus, Professor Richard Barnett, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ulster, said the university is renewing itself to serve the region’s needs in the 21st century.
He continued: “Our recent upgrade to the Belfast campus has shown us that there is an enormous appetite for the University of Ulster's programmes in central Belfast.
“Already, we have migrated our hospitality management programmes to Belfast, a move which has proved highly popular with students and the industry. We have new architecture, urban design and landscape studies programmes there, and are developing our continuing professional development and executive education programmes.
“A vibrant city centre location is important for those kinds of programmes and the students they attract, and our strategic vision is to provide the space and facilities needed for these activities to flourish.
“Through this development the university is making a major contribution to the economic and cultural regeneration of the city's north side, including the Cathedral Quarter, injecting vitality, energy and creativity into the once run-down 18th century heart of the city. This plan will help transform the Cathedral Quarter and surrounding areas into a dynamic cultural, creative and educational destination.”
He said that it was the challenge of what to do with the main building on the Jordanstown campus — now nearing the end of its design life — that provided the university with the opportunity to clarify how it can take forward its mission in the 21st century.
He said: “he cost of adapting this type of 1970s building would be almost as high as the cost of total replacement, and the outcomes would be less satisfactory for modern higher education, and probably less economic in the long-run.”
UUP MLA for East Antrim Ken Robinson told the Telegraph in December that he was “extremely concerned” about the potential loss to the local economy if the move to Belfast went ahead.
It is understood that students’ halls of residence will remain in Jordanstown, currently providing accommodation for more than 700 students.
- Text Size
Comments
25 Comments
My concern here is for Coleraine, with plans to "Consolidate" numbers there. The word consolidate can mean a lot of things, I suspect it means a big nasty cut in this case.
The economy on the north coast is already suffering with the loss of Seagate in Limavady, Spanboard in C'raine and AVX looking at cutting numbers.
Prior to this Farmfed closed a few years before and the UU catering college in Portrush was "consolidated" out of our area all together.
It looks like the potential economic driver of UUC may now also be diminished by this plan.
Derry City Councils complaint that one of the few pieces of investment in recent years into to the North Coast will not to go to Derry (in the form of a Telehouse being constructed in the Coleraine Borough) leaves a pretty sour taste in the mouth given the circumstances.
This is especially the case given that there seem to be a strong emphasis on Magee receiving expansion investment over Coleraine once Londonderry and Foyle school moves.
Posted by DB | 08.02.09, 21:50 GMT
This carping is absolutely absurd. OF COURSE the University should be in the City Centre. OF COURSE people will only attend a modern facility. The age of the out of town campus, isolated and windswept, is gone.
Cathedral Quarter is a perfect location - the University already established, the new Saint Anne's Square with its apartments, car parking and restaurants, a new arts centre. The reality of young people's thinking today is that academia is only one part of the University experience.
Posted by PW | 03.02.09, 09:36 GMT
The QUB management and governors must feel completely inadequate. They thought that universities were about teaching and research. How silly of them. UU believes that universities are really property companies, and teaching and research are trivial diversions. Universities are clearly immune to recession. The role of academics and other current and future staff is to pay off the debt. It's simple really!
Posted by Simple Academic | 03.02.09, 00:07 GMT
From a student's perspective, I looked at Jtown Uni 2 years ago for the masters degree in construction management, and found the uni horrible. the whole campus only had 1 student union bar and the halls were old and outdated
I really did want to stay within NI for university life, however the old fashioned, out of the way, Jtown campus did not appeal to me at all and so i moved to newcastle upon tyne
For a student, an average academic timetable is around 20 hours, some alot less, so your other past times are important, such as the quality of nightlife, entertainment on campus, and living conditions
with this new campus i definitely would have stayed in NI, and this is not a lone opinion. and yes i am aware i could live in belfast and travel on a 30 minute bus journey, before someone kindly reminds me
Posted by J McCombe | 02.02.09, 23:32 GMT
What part of the word RECESSION does the Dept. of Educaton and UU not understand?
This money will be needed yet by other more needy people.
Posted by James Swann | 02.02.09, 22:27 GMT
Maybe they will be able to convert the St. Annes Square apartments currently under construction into student halls of residence - given the economic climate for the next few years I can't see anyone else wanting to buy them, unless the vendors get real re pricing......
Posted by Deflated Bubble | 02.02.09, 19:35 GMT
If Jordanstown is to become a Sports centre of excellence - wouldn't the "joined up" thing be to put the proposed 50m swimming pool on this site - rather than some randon location in Bangor as is curreently planed by DCAL??
Posted by RS | 02.02.09, 18:21 GMT
Moving course delivery and associated jobs from Jordansown to Belfast City Ctr is no losss to the 'local economy' - unless you take a VERY parochical view of what constitutes 'local'. Surely staff can travel a wee bit into town - without the need to relocate from Newtownabbey.
Posted by RS | 02.02.09, 18:19 GMT
How many of the JTown students are involved in sports education? i.e. how many will remain at JTown?
Is this the start of some dastardly scheme to sell off the site for some other form of development?
What will become of the existing buildings?
Posted by M. | 02.02.09, 17:20 GMT
I wonder will the project be tendered in such a way to give local firms a chance of getting some of the work.
Posted by Merit | 02.02.09, 17:00 GMT
The university could spend £250 million in better ways than replacing perfectly good buildings at Jordanstown. The Coleraine buildings are older. Do they also need replacing? Will we be told next year that the Coleraine courses are to be moved to Belfast or Londonderry and that campus turned into a business park? This is the result of an intellectually bankrupt management. Unfortunately it will lead to the university being actually bankrupt.
Posted by RM | 02.02.09, 16:25 GMT
The university could spend £250 million in better ways than replacing perfectly good buildings at Jordanstown. The Coleraine buildings are older. Do they also need replacing? Will we be told next year that the Coleraine courses are to be moved to Belfast or Londonderry and that campus turned into a business park? This is the result of an intellectually bankrupt management. Unfortunately it will lead to the university being actually bankrupt.
Posted by RM | 02.02.09, 16:24 GMT
To John, don't you know by now that academics are never consulted? We count for nothing in the greater scheme of financial deals, vested interests and government directives of which our Esteemed Leaders are so enamoured. The current regime has clearly learned nothing from the mistakes of its predessors.
Posted by K | 02.02.09, 15:46 GMT
Here's a thought Stacey....due to the increased numbers of students at the Belfast campus, Translink may actually change the bus route or create a new one to accomodate the demand...
Posted by RB | 02.02.09, 15:40 GMT
I for one think this is a great announcement, it will help regenerate a part of the city that has been neglected for a long time.
Jordanstown, despite being only 35 years old, is sadly outdated, it was a cheap 70's design and build that has served its purpose, but its location has never been ideal.
I failed to get into Queens, and rather than take up a position at Jordonstown, I opted to go to England instead as there was just no appeal for me to go to a University that wasn't located in a town or city?
As for buses etc, there will be plenty put on I'm sure, there's talk of the new Light Rail System (strange term for a bus system?) going past the campus, plus you will see a student area develop in the area; don't forget, there are currently over 12,000 students attend Jordanstown, yet only 700 live on-site, therefore the majority manage to travel in and out, I'm sure they can work out how to get to the Cathederal Quarter.
Posted by S | 02.02.09, 15:31 GMT
Who on earth would stay in Halls in Jordanstown and travel into a Belfast campus. who on earth would want to stay in Jordanstown halls anyway?
Posted by Michael | 02.02.09, 14:58 GMT
This has been in the pipeline for months and months, anybody with an objection should have voiced it long before now. Wise move UU, self preservation as they struggle for the numbers they need they need to do something to survive. Developers wont be too bothered if they are buying a pre existing building you silly silly chaps
Posted by Jordan | 02.02.09, 14:49 GMT
Stacey, by bus or train the smae way those students who live in Belfast at present get in and out to Jordanstown. Do you really believe that every student that will be staying in the halls when the new campus opens will be a private car owner. And students were supposed to be poor what with their students loans etc.
Posted by William | 02.02.09, 13:55 GMT
Stacey, try public transport!!!!
Posted by cd | 02.02.09, 13:55 GMT
Fair play to UU. The students will be delighted - get with it you old folk! Anyone who has studied in Jordanstown recently will agree that its facilities are far from suitable. Belfast city centre is long overdue a modern, fit-for-purpose university campus that will attract the best students, and provide them with value for money, seeing as they are now paying fees. If we educate the talent in NI, we have a better chance of keeping them here. Stacey, I am sure Translink will adjust its bus routes if it is going to make money from doing so.
Posted by Maurice | 02.02.09, 13:45 GMT
25 Comments