Work well under way on £6m Harper Adams campus plans
Work is progressing on a £6 million scheme to improve facilities for students at Shropshire's only university.
Three buildings are being built at Harper Adams University – a new teaching block, a hi-tech agricultural engineering building and a veterinary centre.
The £2.9 million engineering building will include features like a full-scale all terrain vehicle simulator room for product development and training, which will also provide a means to verify health and safety measures in the design and development of new agricultural machinery.
The building will be completed in time for the start of the next academic year in the autumn.
The Higher Education Funding Council for England contributed £1.5 million towards the project. Other funding has come from the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and donations from the Douglas Bomford Trust, Eric Lea's Charitable Trust and private donors.
Professor Simon Blackmore, head of agricultural engineering at Harper Adams, said: "We are extremely excited to see the new building take shape and our plans for the use of this new accommodation are well in hand."
The new teaching block will include a 260-seat lecture theatre – the largest on campus – and a range of seminar rooms. It has been built thanks to a 'significant donation' from the grant-giving charity, the Garfield Weston Foundation.
Dr David Llewellyn, vice-chancellor at Harper Adams, said: "We are delighted to have received a generous donation from the Garfield Weston Foundation towards this project.
"Their support will help make a significant difference to our teaching resources and to our ability to inspire students for their careers in the agri-food and related sectors."
The university has also submitted plans for a £600,000 Veterinary Services Centre as demand has grown for its courses.
If given the go-ahead, the centre would consist of a reception area and office, eight consulting rooms and a hydrotherapy suite, which will include a pool and a canine underwater treadmill.
Head of the animal production, welfare and veterinary sciences department, Carwyn Ellis, said: "This major capital investment will mean that students studying our courses will have the very best facilities."
