ESTATE DEVELOPMENT
Our priorities are to:
Provide all parts of the University with flexible accommodation which is of a quality, size and functionality appropriate to the activities to be delivered and which supports the University’s vision.
We recognise that much of the existing University building stock has development constraints and is not ideally suited to modern teaching and research requirements. We will therefore ensure that our ambitious capital investment and maintenance programmes are informed by our priorities and objectives for research and education, and that new buildings are adaptable in order that they will remain viable in a continually changing academic environment. We will take reasonable measures to ensure that our buildings are fully accessible to all those needing to use them. We will improve the inter-relationships between academic departments through physical co-location, in order to facilitate interdisciplinary work within and across faculty structures.
Ensure the most efficient use of existing space and the development of capacity within the central precinct area wherever appropriate.
We will keep under review the space allocation to each academic and administrative function in order to obtain maximum utilisation of assets while identifying, at the earliest opportunity, any requirement to acquire additional space. We will pursue the implementation of a common and institution-wide timetabling platform to ensure the most effective use of existing space. In recognising the constraining nature of the current physical estate, we will also actively monitor, and pursue where appropriate, opportunities to acquire additional physical estate which will enable the University to concentrate core activities in the central precinct area in the long term.
Continue to work to reduce carbon emissions and improve the sustainability of the physical estate.
Our capital investment programme will take account of the need to design for a sustainable future. We will ensure that in planning new buildings and making significant alterations to existing ones we set challenging targets for environmental accreditation and for the lowest possible use of energy and utilities, measuring ourselves by reference to recognised national standards of excellence. We will measure as accurately as possible our energy, water and waste consumption and work to reduce these annually, with a corresponding reduction in the carbon impact of the estate. We will ensure that the environmental impact of all that we do is properly understood and where necessary challenged, thereby contributing to a robust and sustainable financial future for the University.
Provide residential accommodation which is attractive to students in form, service and location.
We recognise that the range and quality of the residential accommodation available at the University is an important factor in attracting the best students, and also has a powerful effect on students’ academic performance and personal development. We have therefore established a Residential Strategy Board to carry out a comprehensive review of our current provision and to develop a plan for the future which will bring benefits not only to students but also to local communities and the University as a whole. Our aim is to ensure a residential offering that provides students with a range of high quality residential, social and learning opportunities in an attractive, well maintained, ecologically sound environment, which is managed by a professional support service and is financially sustainable.
Deliver an ambitious capital programme in support of the renewal of accommodation and the creation of adaptive capacity.
We will continue to develop and implement our processes for identifying, testing and prioritising future capital investment needs, in order to ensure that available resources are deployed in the most cost-effective way and commensurate with University objectives for education and research. We will build on our track record for managing and delivering capital projects in a timely manner, that deliver excellent value for money and that meet academic and organisational requirements. We will ensure a close partnership between support services and academic departments in developing building specifications and delivering projects successfully with the minimum of disruption to staff, students and the wider community.
Provide an attractive, safe, accessible and welcoming setting for University buildings that is sympathetic to the wider urban context.
Through the phased implementation of our Strategic Masterplan, we will create better accessibility to, across and through the University, for example by providing new pedestrian and cycle routes and connections; by improving safety and traffic flow and by promoting more sustainable modes of travel. We will also deliver an improved physical environment, by conserving and enhancing historic environments and landscapes and creating first-class new buildings and spaces and by enlivening public areas to create a better mix of spaces and uses in the central precinct areas.
Produce a new Estate Strategy to inform future strategic decisions about the size, nature and direction of the University’s Estate.
We will produce and maintain an Estates Strategy covering all of our major landholdings. This will be informed by a range of supporting information including the Strategic Masterplan for the central precinct area, masterplans for other areas of the Estate where appropriate, detailed space studies, a full survey of condition and compliance and our developing environmental policies.
Our progress and achievements against these priorities will be measured through:
- Feedback from staff, students and external stakeholders on the quality of University accommodation.
- Monitoring of internal strategic performance indicators relating to estate costs, space management and capital expenditure.
Further information about our objectives, planned actions and performance indicators with regard to the Estate will be detailed in our Estate Strategy.