New contractor opportunity for Carlisle Citadels campus development
Work has continued behind the scenes as University of Cumbria prepares to start building its new campus at The Citadels site in Carlisle city centre.
The university has secured vacant possession of several properties on English Street and Victoria Viaduct and the remaining occupied properties on English Street will be vacated over the summer.
Alongside this, University of Cumbria and Cumberland Council continue to work together on the land assembly work required and are in the process of finalising new agreements for the transfer of the land and property owned by the council that is needed for the project.
Further surveys and ground investigations have also been completed, in order to finalise the designs, ahead of moving into the construction phase. A Contract Notice has now been issued inviting expressions of interest in tendering for the building contract for the next stage of the project.
University of Cumbria Chief Operating Officer, Mark Swindlehurst said:
“We have a fantastic design ready to go and will now be going through a tender process to select a new contractor with a view to building work starting on site in early 2025.
“It’s an exciting time for the university, the wider city and region, as we move towards realising our vision and the next phase of delivery for this transformational project.”
The Carlisle Citadels campus project has been developed by the University of Cumbria and Cumberland Council (previously Cumbria County Council and Carlisle City Council) with Cumbria LEP as a key partner.
Funding for the project is being provided by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) through the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal, and by the University of Cumbria, with additional funding for the Carlisle Business Exchange Centre coming from the Carlisle Town Deal Fund.
SRM who have been working with the university since March 2022, have recently won tenders for two large new infrastructure projects, and have therefore decided to focus on these.
Mark added “I’d like to thank SRM for all their work over the last two years getting us to this point and I know that they will be supporting us from the sidelines”.
Grant Findlay, Executive Managing Director of Buildings, Sir Robert McAlpine, said: “We will watch with pride as The Citadels campus starts to take shape and will continue to support the project through our supply chain.
“This is an exciting project for whoever takes over the reins and we look forward to seeing the finished campus.”
Notes to editors
Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal Funding
The Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal was signed in March 2021. The £350 million investment in the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal, from the UK and Scottish Governments, is made up of £150 million for Scotland (£85 million from the Scottish Government and £65 million from the UK Government) and up to £200 million for England from the UK Government. This will be supported by over £100million of funding from local partners. The Borderlands Partnership is made up of Cumberland Council, Westmorland and FurnessCouncil, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Northumberland County Council, Scottish Borders Council.
Town Deal Funding
On July 27, 2019, the Prime Minister announced that the Towns Fund would support an initial 101 places across England to develop Town Deal proposals, to drive economic regeneration and deliver long-term economic and productivity growth. See further details of the announcement: PM speech at Manchester Science and Industry Museum - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) A Town Deal is an agreement in principle between Government, the lead council and the Town Deal Board. It sets out a vision and strategy for the town, and what each party agrees to do to achieve this vision. See the 101 places being supported to develop Town Deals: list-of-100-places.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk) Each of the 101 towns selected to work towards a Town Deal also received accelerated funding last year for investment in capital projects that would have an immediate impact and help places “build back better” in the wake of Covid-19. View a list of accelerated funding by place: towns-fund-accelerated-funding-grants.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)