Two developments critical to the future of the University of Leicester have received the go-ahead. The projects are part of the University’s £500m estates investment programme and construction is due to start in the coming months.
At its Brookfield campus on London Road, the University will deliver a significant renovation scheme to create a new home for its School of Business. At the heart of the London Road site is the historic 19th Century Brookfield House. The original house and stable blocks will receive a comprehensive renovation and upgrade. The University will also redevelop an extension to the main building to provide a new lecture theatre and seminar rooms, alongside a full scheme of landscape improvements.
Professor Zoe Radnor, Dean of the University of Leicester School of Business, said: “We’re delighted to have reached this major milestone. Brookfield will provide the School of Business with the exceptional environment that a top performing business school needs. It will accommodate a wide variety of teaching and social learning spaces, all set within a distinctive environment of the historic Victorian house and landscaped gardens.”
In a second project to receive planning approval, the University’s central campus will see the transformation and expansion of the Percy Gee building, which houses the Students’ Union. Enhancing the redevelopment of the building which was completed in 2011, this new expansion will house a food court, as well as social learning and multi-use facilities. The new eastern façade will establish a direct link between the vibrant atria space and the newly completed Fielding Johnson Square.
University of Leicester’s Director of Estates and Campus Services, Brita Sread, commented: “These two projects are central to our overall ambition of creating an environment that truly supports teaching, research and an unrivalled student experience. We are delighted to have been given the green light to progress these projects and are excited by the prospect of the fabulous improvements that University staff, students and visitors will experience upon completion of the work.
“We’re also pleased about the wider contribution that these projects and others can make to our city. At Brookfield, in particular, we’ve spent time talking to local residents about our plans and how we can more actively contribute to the local community.”
Construction is due to begin in March and April, with contractors still to be announced. Both schemes were designed by Shepheard Epstein Hunter with planning advice from Montagu Evans.
