Professor Terri Scott, Principal and Chief Executive of Northern Regional College has updated local stakeholders on the “exciting progress” made in recent months on its new campus development at its existing Union Street site in Coleraine.
Funded by the Department for the Economy, the £40million development in the town forms part of a wider £84million capital investment programme, which will also see the development of a new campus for the College at Farm Lodge in Ballymena.
The Coleraine campus has been temporarily relocated to the former St Joseph’s College at Beresford Avenue. The demolition phase at the College’s Union Street site by lead construction contractor Heron Bros. Ltd is almost complete, with construction of the new building then scheduled to get underway this summer.
Professor Scott, said that despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, the programme remains “very much on target”.
“We have continued to make significant progress on site,” she said. “Construction is due to commence this summer and we remain on schedule to complete the project in August 2023 and to begin teaching in the new campus at the start of the new academic year in September 2023.”
The new campus will feature a state-of-the-art, accessible to all 12,560m2 building over four storeys and will incorporate the former Church of Ireland St Patrick’s Hall on Brook Street, which will be fully restored to house a 80-100 seat Performing Arts Centre that will be available for community use.
Hoarding is due to be erected around the site in the coming weeks and will depict a timeline of the College’s rich history, in the Coleraine area, alongside images of both the former and new campus, staff and students.
Professor Scott stated that the College has been “hugely encouraged” by positive feedback received from the local community on its vision for the new campus.
“The new campus will not only serve our students but it will be a tremendous asset for the Causeway Coast and Glens area,” she said. “We want our local community to share in the excitement for the wealth of opportunities this development will bring to people of all ages and businesses in the area.
“We have engaged regularly with local neighbours and businesses since the start of this journey and are extremely grateful for their ongoing co-operation and support, and their warm and encouraging feedback on our plans for the new campus.”
“I would like to thank Minister Dodds and the Department for the Economy for their significant level of support and investment provided to this exciting project.”
It is anticipated that over 100 new construction jobs will be created and a further 300 sustained during the building phase of the Coleraine project alone. Along with these full-time jobs, over 1,000 weeks of employment and training will be provided through traineeships, apprenticeships and higher level apprenticeships (HLAs) across a range of construction related trades.
Working in partnership with the College, Heron Bros. Ltd. will deliver a wide range of curriculum engagement initiatives, including talks and site visits for College students, talks for local schools and supplier open days. A busy programme of voluntary, community and social enterprise support initiatives will also be delivered throughout the duration of the project.
For further information about the new campus development at Coleraine, visit www.nrc.ac.uk/campus-redevelopment/coleraine