Gloucester’s former Debenham’s building in Kings Square “will not be a university ivory tower” as it opens next week for its new future as a teaching, arts and community space.
The University of Gloucestershire building has been transformed into a “vibrant new hub in the heart of the city”.
The campus is now home to the university’s education, psychology and social work programmes.
And it is set to open to the public on Monday, August 18.
The 20,000m2 landmark will also have shared public access facilities which will include a new public library, a new arts, health and wellbeing centre delivered with Gloucestershire NHS Integrated Care oard.
Vice-chancellor Clare Marchant said she was really excited the campus is opening next week which has generated already the generated a social value of £22.95 million by creating jobs, establishing new connections with business and the third sector.
“It will be wonderful to see families and business people using this brilliant study space,” she said.
“Also with the library opening next month and then 1200 students and staff being welcomed through the course of late August and into September.
“Really excited to share the new, really modern, teaching and research facilities.”
Hannah Gorf, healthy communities and individuals programme manager at Gloucestershire ICB, said the site will be important for the NHS and research will be done at its hub for social prescribing.
The idea is the site will build on research into groundbreaking therapies and interventions to improve community health and wellbeing.
Richard Fielding, area director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Midlands, who has been involved in the project for more than three and half years, said it was lovely to keep the landmark building’s heritage intact.
“It is turning a retail facility, the ex-Debenhams, into a higher education facility,” he said.
“It’s quite unique actually if you look at the way city centres work now how people’s spending habits have changed, I think there is a real future to putting higher education buildings in the city centre.
“It’s lovely to keep the heritage of the building and its Art Deco. Outside it looks very similar to how it used to be.
“People want to learn and live in the same space so that’s really exciting. They’ve been really brave in a challenging part of Gloucester city centre to grasp the nettle and get involved with it.
“It’s a catalyst for the redevelopment of the city to join up with the Docks which will be great for Gloucester in the future.”
Another integral part of the building will be the new library. It will have its own dedicated space for the lab.
Patsy To, head of libraries at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “It is within a space perfect for a lab which is visibly accessible for people to see what it looks like and what’s on offer.
“So people interested can see what is on offer and then take the next step of using it and speaking with the lab technicians.
“It can also be closed off if it is being used by groups that need that space.”
The old library in Brunswick Road will close for two weeks in the autumn while it is moved to the City Campus building.
“There are many libraries people can use with their library card during the closure at Hucclecote or Quedgeley,” Patsy said.
County Council deputy leader Colin Hay (LD, All Saints and Oakley) said having a library and the public in the university is important.
The authority has a lease to use the space for 25 years.
“It’s relatively safe – 25 years is a good time to see how it works,” he said.
“It’s a rendezvous place. You’re mixing with students, people feel better when they are mixing with a lot of different people.”
Gloucester City Council leader Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton) said when Debenhams pulled out there was a great danger the building could have stayed empty for year on year and fall into decline.
He praised the university for buying and redeveloping the site and doing such a good job.
“Everybody has been supportive of the university campus and what they have done to the building is admirable,” he said.
“It’s a really good restoration. It’s going to be a modern facility.”
He said the increased footfall of students is going to be very helpful to the life of Gloucester and its city centre economy.
“Having this here, with the developments at The Forum is going to help tremendously,” he said.
“Some of our nearby empty shop units are more likely to be taken up by entrepreneurs wanting to open a business as they will know they will have the people in the locality as customers.
Read more on Gloucestershire Live
