University of Warwick building gets the green light
Plans have been approved for its science and engineering site.
Last updated 12th Jul 2024
A new building at the University of Warwick has had the green light for a huge development.
Plans for its science and engineering site were approved this week.
New buildings up to 35 metres high have got the go-ahead, while other blocks – some dating back to the 1960s – will be knocked down. More green space is planned for the precinct, which will also have “excess” car parking removed, plans say.
The scheme includes clearing and levelling the site, removing hedgerows and trees and diverting utilities. City councillors and locals expressed support for the plans according to a statement by agents Turley, though some residents raised questions over traffic and construction management.
More detailed plans will need to be approved by the council in future under ‘reserved matters.’ Assessing the scheme, a Coventry council officer noted that it will include a loss of trees and biodiversity in the short term.
Around 90 trees will be lost which is “of course, regrettable,” they wrote. But they added that only a few from higher quality species will go – and the wider redevelopment of the site carries “significant weight.”
Details of how the loss will be off-set are also due to be sent to the council in future, the report stated. Some grassland, hedges and a water course will also be removed for the new precinct, it added.
But according to the university this can be “mitigated” in the redeveloped site – and there are plans for ecology projects elsewhere across its campus. The officer also said the short-term impact on nature is considerably less than the benefits of the plan, which will provide a “new purpose-built quality campus.”
The officer report also noted that the scheme involves creating 34,500sqm of new teaching space. It added: “The expansion of education provision is of importance to the city and is strongly supported.”
The university aims to boost its ranking for physical science and engineering subjects – and the performance of these areas is currently limited by the conditions of the buildings, according to the plans.