Scrutiny of buildings in University of Leeds masterplan

Councillors are due to consider two separate planning applications for a new enterprise and innovation hub and a science and computing building.

The £40m University Innovation and Enterprise Centre (UIEC), expected to open in 2018, will provide office and laboratory space for technology companies to develop and grow. It is expected that the UIEC will create 97 new full-time equivalent jobs, adding to 598 existing jobs which will be based in there.

Laid out across three connected arms with a central atrium, the 107,000 sq ft building will house research and incubator space and it will sit in the southern part of the campus. Earlier this year, the university highlighted a need to “provide more capacity and space for innovation on their campus and the wider city”. It said the proposal offers a link from “town to gown”.

Meanwhile, plans for a £87m North East Quarter, including the development of an international centre for engineering and physical sciences, are moving forward.

The 161,458 sq ft Bragg Centre, due for completion in autumn 2019, would house the physics and computing departments, bringing them closer to the engineering and chemistry schools.

A pre-application presentation of the proposals will be presented to the plans panel today. According to a report by the chief planning officer: “The proposal, referred to as the North East Quarter development, forms a key part of the university’s masterplan to develop and improve facilities across the campus.”

It added: “Relocating the schools of physics and computing to an area between chemistry and engineering will increase the connections and enable collaboration in research and teaching between the schools.”

Have you downloaded the free YEP app available on Android and iphone?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE ANDROID VERSION OF THE YEP’S FREE NEWS AND SPORT APP

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE iPHONE VERSION OF THE YEP’S FREE NEWS AND SPORT APP