Campus master plan exhibition to move

4:43pm Wednesday 23rd July 2008

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A public exhibition showing a master plan for the future of the Tremough Campus is moving to the university's Falmouth Campus next week.

The plans show proposed developments for up to 2016 and include providing accommodation for 5,000 students by this date, as well as the introduction of four new buildings.

It is hoped these will include be a Performing Arts Centre for choreography, music and theatre to accommodate students from Dartington College, which merged with University College Falmouth in April 2008. Staff and students are due to relocate to Tremough in 2010.

The other buildings planned are a Tremough Innovation Centre to support entrepreneurs and new businesses, an Environment and Sustainability Institute to form the hub of the University of Exeter's research facilities and the Academy for Innovation and Research, as part of University College Falmouth's support of the Cornish economy.

These buildings will be for use by students at both Tremough and on the Wooldlane campus in Falmouth, as well as the wider community.

On the accommodation side, the campus aims to house 50 per cent of students on site by 2016.

Those behind the master plan, which has been put together jointly by University College Falmouth and the University of Exeter, who share the site, said they were fully aware of the issue of parking and this was being addressed.

Nigel Barnes, director of estates with University College Falmouth, said that the universities were going to "great efforts" to encourage students and staff to use public transport, which would be subsidised even further from August 1, when a bus journey anywhere in the five-mile zone around the campus will cost just 50p.

He said the Tremough campus had "fairly limited" parking on site and was already exceeding guidelines, but added that where there was pay and display parking then charges would be "substantially reduced," to around 50p for up to two hours and £1 for up to four hours. They planned to increase the number of spaces on campus from 580 to 660.

All students with a Falmouth and Penryn address also have the opportunity for free parking at the Ponsharden park and ride car park.

Perhaps one of the most innovative ideas is from the Student Union, which is considering a "car club." The union would buy a number of cars that students could then hire out for trips further afield.

An outline planning application of the master plan is expected to be submitted in September and the campus hopes to have the Performing Arts Centre built by 2010.

The master plan has been on show at the Tremough Campus and will now be open to the public again at the Woodlane Campus in Falmouth from Monday.

Members of the public can view the exhibition in the campus library between 9am and 4.45pm, from Monday to Friday.