University of Lincoln eyes vision to open regional hubs

The University of Lincoln is planning to open hubs across the county to allow towns such as Boston, Scunthorpe and Grantham to benefit from the growth of the academic institution.

Speaking at our event in Lincoln Harvey Dowdy, Director of Estates at the University of Lincoln, said the university planned to stimulate growth in the towns across the county as the institution expands in the coming decade.
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Ms Harvey said: “We all know how hard it is to get from one place to another in Lincolnshire, so we decided to take the university to them. So, watch this space for future hubs in Grantham, Scunthorpe, Boston, Grimsby and Lincoln.”

Ms Harvey, who has been at the university for two years since joining from Durham University, said that the institution had grown at a phenomenal rate since it was established just over two decades ago: “The university has only been building buildings for 23 years and during that time it has put one up every year. I came two years ago and at that time we were finishing three at once, which was £130m in investment in one go. It’s extraordinary that the 23-year growth has brought us to where we are today, the university of Lincoln has been staggeringly successful.”

Ms Harvey noted that the university keeps a number of aspects of its estate programme, including its residential requirement, under review to ensure adequate supply, but highlighted the new medical school, which gained planning permission in late March, as one of the key new facilities that will drive growth in the region when it’s completed.

The £21m medical school will be delivered in partnership with the University of Nottingham and will be constructed next to the existing science laboratories, the Janet Lane-Clayon Building and opposite Lincoln University’s Isaac Newton building on the southern edge of the main Brayford campus.

Ms Harvey said: “One thing we will notice is the establishment of the medical school, we can’t underestimate how much that is going to do for us in Lincolnshire. It will not only attract research but will also attract manufacturing. I saw this happen when I was at Durham, we lost out in Durham and it all happened over in Newcastle. I think that if we do this right in Lincoln then the funding agencies and enterprises will sit up and take note.”

Ms Harvey was less impressed with the current state of procurement for academic institutions however. Asked how Lincoln manages to bring on board local suppliers, especially in construction, she said: “I’d start by saying that procurement is a complete pain in the backside, as a university we are stuck with OJEU. I would encourage people to find a way in with a framework provider.”

The university as an employer is key to toB the city, being the second-largest employer in Lincoln. The estates programme will also see the university look to expand its sports facilities in the coming years: “We’re short of sports facilities, that’s one of the next areas of growth. We have still got new academic departments arriving. Last year philosophy and geography arrived and they will need new homes depending on recruitment.”

Commenting on the status of residential accommodation for students she added: “Several times a year we model the potential oversupply or deficit (of student accommodation). The university has been so successful and to a certain extent we bucked the national trend. We will not need any new buildings until at least 2025 but that doesn’t mean we aren’t interested in speaking to people who have interest in this aspect of our estate.”

However Ms Harvey noted that the university may look at housing options for alumni who’re keen to stay in the area after graduating: “Should we be looking at developing a product which allows graduates to stay near the uni or should we put some accommodation where Siemens are for example. Otherwise students and graduates are priced out of the market. What we’ve found is students like it here, they want to stay but end up going home. That’s not what we want, we want them to come here and stay here.”
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