Cumbria uni’s £9m Lancaster campus scheme nears completion

Work on a multi-million pound scheme at the University of Cumbria’s campus in Lancaster is nearing completion.

The £9m building, which is slowly emerging from behind its protective screens, will add almost 27,000 sq ft of teaching accommodation, a 220-seat lecture theatre and new social learning spaces to the campus’ facilities.

The project was aided by a Lancashire Local Enterprise Partnership grant of £2.5m and comes as the university prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

In the next few weeks, students will be asked for opinions on furniture and fittings before bosses make a final decision over how to complete the building’s fit out.

Forming part of a wider 10-year investment vision at the university’s Bowerham campus, the new teaching block will be operational in time for the 2017 academic year.

Annette Suddes, the university’s Lancaster-based capital programme manager, said: “This is a substantial investment for the university and it’ll make a big difference to the standards of teaching on the campus.

“The rooms will be light and airy with plenty of room for students to meet together with small study areas too.”