Work on £17.5m National Brownfield Institute in Wolverhampton to start in 2021
The building of a new £17.5m National Brownfield Institute in Wolverhampton will start in the New Year after it received planning approval to be built on the University of Wolverhampton’s Springfield Campus.
The NBI will be a world-class institute that provides the facility to develop modern methods of building through innovation and partnership with the construction industry.
Built on the University of Wolverhampton’s £120m Springfield Campus, the NBI will focus on the practical application of future brownfield regeneration.
The scheme will receive £14.9m of funding from the Government’s Get Building Fund for the West Midlands.
Councillor Stephen Simkins of Wolverhampton Council said: “This is an exciting moment as it means the construction of the National Brownfield Institute can start in the New Year.
“It is yet another sign of the confidence being shown in Wolverhampton as a place to invest and live, as our regeneration plans change our city and relight it despite the huge challenges the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown at us.
“We have seen the University’s Springfield Campus blossom into the reality of a European-leading Built Environment education campus.
“The addition of the National Brownfield Institute will make Wolverhampton a world leader in construction, regeneration and built environment, offering teaching and skills development, cutting edge research and innovation, and enterprise and business engagement through multi-sector partnerships.
“Most importantly it will deliver new skills, jobs and opportunities for local people in the city.”
Professor Geoff Layer, Vice Chancellor at the university, said: “This is fantastic news for the city, the university and the local economy.
“Our Estates and Facilities team has worked closely with Architectural, Civil, Mechanical and Electrical consultants including Associated Architects, CPW and Atkins alongside the construction contractor, ISG Limited, to deliver this approval.
“We are working really hard behind the scenes to ensure that this project is moving forward quickly and each milestone we achieve is a step closer to the next building.
“The NBI will be integral to the way we look at land remediation and regeneration across the Black Country and the UK and will play a pivotal part in unlocking industrial land to help tackle the housing shortage in our towns and cities.”
The 12-acre Springfield Campus is already home to the Thomas Telford University Technical College, Elite Centre for Manufacturing Skills and the recently opened School of Architecture and Built Environment.
These facilities combined with the NBI will lay the foundation for the delivery of a National Centre for Sustainable Construction and Circular Economy, which will focus on sustainability and the climate change emergency.
