LJMU moves to the heart of Liverpool
Liverpool John Moores University is pleased to announce that it has won a competitive tender to buy the former Royal Mail Sorting House on Copperas Hill, thus consolidating its extensive investment in the City Centre and adding to the City’s assets in the knowledge economy.
This large building and extensive site sits in the centre of Liverpool, close to Lime Street Station and at the very epicentre of the University’s existing buildings, including the new Redmonds Building.
Professor Michael Brown, LJMU's Vice Chancellor, said:
“This strategic investment will provide for the future success of the University. LJMU aims to prepare students for the knowledge economy by providing a life changing educational experience combining academic and world of work skills, and now we can also place them in the very heart of it by location.
“Every student, on every course, in every Faculty is based right in the centre of Liverpool, with equal access to all facilities and services that the University has to offer.”
Cllr Malcolm Kennedy, Cabinet Member for Regeneration & Transport said:
“Liverpool City Council supports & welcomes the acquisition of the former Royal Mail Sorting Office on Copperas Hill by Liverpool John Moores University. The City Council has been working extensively over the past year with the former owners, Royal Mail Group, to ensure their premises were passed to a party who would seek to invest in this building , and as such support the Council’s aspirations for the regeneration of the wider Lime Street / Copperas Hill area.
“The City Council considers the involvement of Liverpool John Moores University as an exciting opportunity to work closely with the University on the redevelopment of a key area of the City which provides the important link from the Knowledge Quarter to the City Centre. The building is located adjacent to one of the City’s main transport links in Lime Street Station, and the Council considers development of this gateway site as an important component the north eastern area of the City Centre, and one that will further support the City’s knowledge economy and employment creation.
“The City Council is looking forward to working further with the University on this site.”
Max Steinberg, Liverpool Vision Chief Executive said: “The acquisition of the Royal Mail building by Liverpool John Moores University is an extremely important step in delivering Liverpool’s strategic ambitions to grow the strength and reputation of its city centre knowledge quarter.
“The refurbishment and redevelopment of this building for University related use will act as a catalyst for the development of further high quality floorspace in the immediate area reconnecting the main retail core of the city centre to the Universities area. It will also provide Liverpool with another area it can confidently promote to international and national markets and inward investment targets.
“It builds on recent investment in the public realm and will reinforce the compact, urban character of Liverpool’s knowledge quarter.
“This combines a remarkable concentration of internationally renowned and high quality knowledge economy assets and activity within a vibrant and distinct city centre environment with a high quality cultural and leisure offer.”
This Copperas Hill move is part of a ten year campus development plan. In the summer of 2012, the School of Business and Law, the Liverpool Screen School, and the University’s new Professional Centre will move to the new Redmonds Building on Clarence Street, consolidating the Faculty of Arts, Professional and Social Studies in the Mount Pleasant Campus.
Given the important developments of the Knowledge Quarter in the city centre and the quality of the buildings now available in that precinct, this is now the opportunity to move the Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure from IM Marsh in Aigburth to join the rest of the University.
While plans are being finalised, investment will continue across the existing University campus areas – including IM Marsh and other satellite locations. This is to ensure that all students, irrespective of where they are taught, receive a comparable high quality student experience.
The University also revealed in June that all LJMU students will have free off-peak access to Liverpool City Council’s Lifestyles fitness centres from September 2011 onwards. The Lifestyles Fitness Centres will also be the venue for some teaching activities associated with PE, sport and leisure programmes delivered by the Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure and those offered by the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences.
[Image: Cllr Malcolm Kennedy, Professor Michael Brown and Max Steinberg]
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