UCLan seeks public views on £50m campus gateway

The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) is seeking feedback on designs of its new £50m campus gateway this week.

From August 8-10, UCLan representatives will be on hand at St George’s Shopping Centre in Preston to showcase the designs of seven shortlisted architectural firms.

Further, student ambassadors will be at UCLan’s In the City shop to gather public feedback on how a new civic square and student support centre, part of the university’s £200m Masterplan, could look once complete.

To make the consultation more accessible for parents, children will get the chance to meet Ivor Goodsite, a university character designed to teach kids about construction.

A UCLan spokesperson said: “We’re keen to get as many people as we can in the shop to show them the designs and find out exactly what they think.

“We are completely open to finding out what people do and don’t like and hear their own suggestions for improvements.”

They continued: “We’ve made the consultation as family-friendly as possible to encourage a wide variety of people to call in.

“The new civic square will form a key component of our £200m Masterplan so it’s very important that the people of Preston have their voices heard.”

The new student support centre and civic square will be the same size as Trafalgar Square in London. Earlier this year, the Royal Institute of British Architects organised an international competition calling for architectural firms to submit designs for the scheme.

From August 11-12, the proposals will displayed at UCLan’s Foster Building on Fylde Road between 10.00am and 3.00pm.