The visit was hosted by Swansea University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Richard B Davies, and Baroness Randerson, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales, was also accompanied onsite by Rupert Joseland, Regional Director of St. Modwen, the UK’s leading regeneration specialist and the University’s development partner, and Mike Kavanagh, Senior Commercial Manager of Vinci Construction UK.

Picture:  Baroness Randerson, (centre) with Rupert Joseland (left) of St Modwen and Swansea University Vice Chancellor Professor Richard Davies

During the visit Baroness Randerson toured the development, which has benefitted from £50m of Welsh Government funding, including £35m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), as well as investment through the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Baroness Randerson also saw progress on buildings such as Engineering Central, the Bay Library, and the iconic Great Hall, which will include nine teaching spaces varying from 300 seated tiered lecture theatres to 20 seated seminar rooms, as well as concert, exhibition and conference facilities with the capacity to host events for up to 800 people.

Speaking after the visit Baroness Randerson, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales, said:

“Swansea is getting the boost it so thoroughly deserves through this magnificent project. The UK Government is proud to be putting £12m into this stunning development in what must be one of the best university locations in the UK.”

Professor Richard B Davies, Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, said:

“There is growing interest in our Science and Innovation Bay Campus and it is wonderful to know that the scale and momentum of this transformative development is being widely recognised.

With less than a year to go until the campus officially opens its doors, Swansea University was very pleased to welcome Baroness Randerson to the Science and Innovation Bay Campus to view the phenomenal progress that has been made.”

The Bay Campus development has a predicted total economic impact of around £3bn with the potential to create up to 10,000 new jobs across the 10 year lifetime of this project and beyond.  
 
By the time it welcomes the first intake of students next autumn, the inaugural phase of the Swansea University Bay Campus will comprise of c. 1,000,000 sq ft of academic buildings and student accommodation.  
 
This will provide around 465,000 sq ft of academic and R&D space, including a new Institute of Structural Materials (home to Swansea Material and Research Testing Ltd), Engineering Central (home to the Innovation Hub), Engineering East (home to the Engineering Manufacturing Centre), Bay Library, Great Hall, School of Management and an Energy Safety Research Institute (ESRI).  
 
The student accommodation will consist of 1,462 new rooms clustered around communal courtyards, with direct access to the beach and nearby ancillary student facilities.  
 
Ancillary retail space will provide a Tower Information Centre, housing student services and support services for staff, a new gym and sports hall, Student Union, launderette and crèche.