The hoardings surrounding the old Debenhams site in Gloucester have started to come down as the city prepares for the opening of the University of Gloucestershire's new City Campus.
The complex at the expansive 20,000sqm ex-department store location in Kings Square is set to open its doors later this year. The first two floors of the five-storey iconic building will begin housing educational activities from summer.
Visible changes were evident on Wednesday (May 21), when the ground floor windows along Northgate Street and The Oxebode became visible beside the once-active Bon Marché department store.
Additionally, parking on The Oxebode was halted by Gloucestershire County Council until May 23, as indicated by a nearby notice.
Local Hempsted and Westgate representative, Cllr Rebecca Trimnell, said Gloucester is eagerly anticipating the establishment's final unveiling and regards the institution as an innovative university "fit for the future of Gloucester".
"It is a long time coming," she remarked. "But it is certainly worth the wait.
"It's great to see it in the next stage of its development. I know we are ready and waiting, looking forward to its final opening and to embrace the students that will walk through the doors of this new learning environment.
"A building that is set up and ready for the future is what this city needs and I am pleased to see that it is progressing well".
The university's blueprint for the building includes a shared ground floor space, with the county library relocating from Brunswick Road. The students' union and a versatile area for teaching and events will also occupy the ground floor.
Additionally, it will accommodate business engagement activities and a student-run law clinic, providing opportunities for training, events and incubation, as well as offering free legal advice to city centre residents.
The second floor will feature a 160-seat lecture theatre and an immersive virtual reality room.
An electroencephalogram lab will also be established where students can study the natural electric activity occurring in the brain. The Gloucestershire NHS Integrated Care Board's health, arts and wellbeing treatment rooms will also be housed within the building.
Crittall Windows, who installed the original windows in the 1930s, have been commissioned by the university to install replica double-glazed windows for enhanced energy efficiency.
In March 2021, the University of Gloucestershire announced its acquisition of Gloucester's Debenhams building, with the aim of facilitating its ambitious growth plans and collaborating with partners to shape a new future for the city.
The iconic building is being revitalised into a dynamic campus at the city's core – a contemporary hub for teaching, learning and community partnerships.
A university spokesperson earlier said: "The graduates we train there will go into jobs that are crucial to the future of our region. It will provide new opportunities for the people who live here and attract new talent.
"Over the lifetime of the project, it is estimated that the Gloucester campus project will add over £700 million of direct and indirect value to the economy.
Detailing the collaboration on the project, they added: "The University's construction partner, the Morgan Sindall Group, is working alongside the multi-disciplined design team led by ADP Architecture to bring the University's vision for the new campus to life.
"The development of this 20,000m2 building will place University of Gloucestershire right at the heart of its community, creating a vibrant hub of new activity in Kings Square."
