New Engineering Building will open the doors to growth and investment

Yesterday the the planning application for the New Engineering Building on the Jessop East site was approved.

This is great news for the Faculty of Engineering and allows us to fulfil our plans for growth and provide our staff and our students, with the facilities we deserve and befitting our success. We now await final sign off from the Secretary of State to approve the demolition of the Edwardian extension to the Jessop Hospital but, with the Council’s support, we are optimistic that the case for approval has been fully made.

We have been given a wonderful opportunity to invest in a high quality stunning building which will not only be a centrepiece for our continued success, but a source of enormous pride for the city.

Construction on the new development is expected to begin in 2013, and the building should be fully operational by 2016.

Over the next few months members of the Faculty will have the opportunity to inspect plans and contribute to the thinking on how we will use the building and facilities. The first opportunity will be at the Faculty Forum Monday 11th February 2013, 11am - 12pm in the ChELSI ideas space, Hadfield Building. I am also pleased to announce that a dedicated display of the plans is being created on D Floor of the Mappin Building, next to the St George’s café.

Message from Professor Keith Burnett, Vice-Chancellor

Today's decision to approve the University's planning application for an £81 million state-of-the-art New Engineering Building on the Jessop East site will open the doors to growth and investment, making a huge contribution to the Sheffield and regional economy.

It is excellent news and I warmly welcome the decision of Sheffield's planning committee to approve our plans for this development. I would like to thank the planning officers for working with the University team for more than a year to shape the building which is the centrepiece of our development plans over the next decade, and to thank council members for their support for this vital new building.

I recognise that the University has been given a wonderful opportunity to create a fitting legacy for the future, an opportunity we take very seriously indeed. The University is committed to investing in a high quality, stunning building which will not only be the centrepiece for the Faculty of Engineering's continued success, but which will also be a source of enormous pride for the city.

This decision brings the building, the lynchpin of our estates development, one step closer. We now await final sign off from the Secretary of State to approve the demolition of the Edwardian extension to the Jessop Hospital but, with the council's support, we are confident that the case for approval has been fully made.

We are grateful for the support we have received from a wide range of individuals and organisations in helping us develop this proposal over the past year, and today's news is good for the University, good for the city and good for the people of Sheffield, bringing a much needed economic boost.

The new development will create around 500 jobs during the construction phase alone and is predicted to bring #44.5 million into the local economy during the construction phase and first year of operation, with an ongoing annual contribution to Sheffield's economy of #20.6 million.

Our Faculty of Engineering continues to grow and to attract students from all over the UK and beyond because of our reputation for top class teaching and research. This growth has made this expansion so vital. The research we carry out in the faculty is translated into practical applications at our Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, attracting world-class companies such as Boeing, Rolls Royce and Siemens to carry out their business here. These partnerships are also important to our Civic University programme which aims to build enduring links with communities.

This new building, along with Engineering's refurbishment programme and the new graduate school, will give our staff and students the facilities they deserve so that Engineering can continue to grow and thrive. In addition this unlocks our capacity to deliver flexible learning spaces incorporating new lecture theatres, new large and small teaching rooms and independent study spaces.

For staff and students who would like to see more of what the new building could look like a dedicated display of the plans is being created on D Floor of the Mappin Building, next to St George's cafe.

Follow this link for the view of the exterior

Construction on the new development is expected to begin in 2013, with the building fully operational by 2016. A total of 1,600 additional engineering students are expected by 2020 with around 400 additional staff recruited to support that growth.