University of Northampton awards £53.5 million contract to build part of new Waterside Campus

The residential zone, which will open in August 2018, will be home to 1,200 undergraduate, postgraduate and international students who will be the first to be taught at the £330million campus at the heart of Northampton.

The contract will see Kier construct a mixture of student accommodation including five-storey flats and four-storey townhouses with landscaped courtyards, a 32-bed hotel, fixtures, fittings and equipment, commercial space, other community facilities and associated public realm to the surrounding areas.

University of Northampton Vice Chancellor, Professor Nick Petford, said: “These halls of residences have been specifically designed with students in mind, offering a range of accommodation styles and incorporating the facilities which they tell us are most important to them. For many students this will be the first time they have lived away from where they grew up, and as a University that places student experience at the centre of what we do, we want to build the very best homes for our student community to live, learn and relax.

“The University are delighted to announce the appointment of Kier Construction to build the residential area at the Waterside Campus. We have a successful track record of working with Kier; having worked with them to construct the St John’s halls of residences and the University of Northampton Innovation Centre; both located in the Northampton Waterside Enterprise Zone.

“Kier are committed to working with local Further Education colleges, providing apprenticeships, and utilising local supply chain partners and SMEs throughout the construction of their element of the Waterside Campus; they understand the local area and the way in which the construction of the Waterside Campus will be a catalyst for regeneration in Northampton. The University, Kier and the other contractors developing the campus, are determined to create the maximum possible positive social impact for communities across the town and county.”

Mark Dady, managing director at Kier, said: “Being awarded this scheme is testament to the good relationship we’ve built with the University over the past few years and we’re pleased to see this continue. We have a strong presence in Northampton and we’re looking forward to delivering another important scheme for the area. Kier has extensive experience in providing student accommodation across the country and this project gives us the opportunity to further enhance that.”

The residential zone of the campus will be located adjacent to the new learning and teaching buildings, and will incorporate a variety of additional facilities for access by the community including a small hotel, health centre, multi-faith chaplaincy, bank and convenience store.

The Waterside Campus will provide state-of-the-art academic facilities for 15,000 students, residential facilities for students and leisure facilities open to the community.

The innovative £330m Waterside Campus development will transform a 58-acre brownfield site in Northampton’s Waterside Enterprise Zone. The Waterside Campus is in close proximity to the town centre, a short walk away through the town’s Cultural Quarter and past the University’s St John’s Halls of Residences, which opened in 2014.