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University to showcase £150m eastside plans

JA/5074 Monday May 27th 2008

• Proposals for City Centre Campus to go on display
  
  
• Major development of Birmingham’s Eastside
  
  
• Chance for public to have their say
  
  
• Crucial to University’s vision for three-campus structure

Birmingham City University’s ambitious plans for a flagship £150m campus are to go on display to the public.

The University is offering people the chance to look at the outline planning proposals for the Canal Street site, Eastside, which will be submitted to Birmingham City Council in June.

The location is a 4.17 acre brown field site on which it is proposed to build between 35,000 and 45,000 square metres of accommodation.

An exhibition of the proposals will be open at Millennium Point on Friday, May 30 from 12.30pm-5.30pm, and on Saturday, May 31 from 9.30am-12.30pm.

Mary Martin, Pro-Vice-Chancellor – Corporate Development, who is overseeing the development, said:

“The University’s ambition in 10 years’ time is to have achieved a national and international reputation for the excellence of our teaching, the exemplary nature of our engagement with business, the professions and the community and for the quality of our research. 

“To achieve this ambition it is necessary to build upon existing achievements. We need to create new areas of excellence and invest in our infrastructure, facilities and business processes to meet the expectations of our students, customers and partners.

”We very much hope that anyone with an interest in the Eastside development will take the opportunity to examine what we’re proposing. Although it’s far too early to say exactly what the development will look like, the exhibition gives an insight into the sort of ideas that might form part of this exciting development.”

The objective of the development is to create new facilities to meet the requirements of the following faculties:

• Faculty of Media and Performing Arts.
• Faculty of Technology, Innovation & Development.
• Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (BIAD).

Additionally, it is intended to create a concert hall, space for working with business, a Student Centre (to include library, learning resources and exhibition space), a food court and a retail centre. The first phase of the building is expected to open to students in September 2012.

Once completed, the University’s City Centre Campus will also encompass existing buildings including Millennium Point, an existing building providing approximately 14,500 square metres of accommodation currently occupied by the Technology Innovation Centre (tic) and the Birmingham School of Acting.

The development is complementary to the regeneration of this side of the city.

The new campus, together with the existing Millennium Point and developments including City Park Gate, Masshouse, Curzon Park and Ventureeast will progress to establish a new mixed use environment focused on learning and leisure.

Media Invitation:
Friday, May 30, 11.30AM

Members of the media are invited to attend the exhibition from 11.30am on Friday, May 30 on Level 2, Millennium Point, Curzon St, Birmingham, B4 7XG. The project director Martin Stevens and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Mary Martin will be available for interview ahead of the opening of the exhibition to the public.

Images which accompany the outline planning permission will be available to the media on May 30 at the dedicated microsite at www.bcu.ac.uk/citycentre.

Please confirm your intention to attend the media call by emailing john.atkin@bcu.ac.uk .

*Please note: We will be unable to provide anyone for interview before the media call on Friday, May 30.

For further information please contact Birmingham City University Media Relations Office on 0121 331 6738, email press@bcu.ac.uk or out of hours on 07967 271 532.

About Birmingham City University.