Edge Hill University to begin work on £16m media hub and 144 new student homes on Ormskirk campus by Spring after plans green lit

Jan 17 2013 by Rob Pattinson, Ormskirk Advertiser

EDGE Hill University said it hopes to begin work on a £16m media hub and 144 new student homes by spring after both projects were given the go-ahead.

Creative Edge will be a state-of-the-art building housed on the landscaped Eastern Campus, providing high-spec suites of industry-standard facilities for students studying Media, Film, Animation, Advertising and Computing.

The new teaching and learning building is designed to ensure that the university's media production, IT students and local partners have access to equipment on a par with those used by the BBC at Salford Quays. An extra 144 student apartments will also be built as part of this year's plans to continue to reduce pressure on the area’s housing market.

John Cater, vice chancellor at Edge Hill, said: “We are delighted that, following a positive recommendation by professional officers, West Lancashire Borough Council has approved the university's plans to construct a further 144 residential units within the campus.

“These student bedrooms are part of our initiative to further ease pressure on residential accommodation in the town. We have a similarly ambitious timescale for the new £16m Creative Edge building, also approved this week, which will bring industry-leading television and media production facilities on to the Ormskirk campus, matching those at Salford Quays and providing professional opportunities for both the university and the locality.

“Despite the ever-changing nature of the higher education sector we’re continuing to invest in our award-winning campus to provide high quality facilities for our students so they benefit from the best teaching and learning environment possible.”

Plans for another phase of the development, creating five three-storey blocks on the eastern part of the campus to house 129 students, are set to go before a future planning committee. The university has also submitted plans to redevelop its Natural and Applied Sciences building in the western campus. It would see a second floor extension for new biology lab facilities.