Turley Associates has secured planning permission for a new 245-bedroom on-campus student accommodation block for Edge Hill University, Lancashire.

Permission for the build was approved by West Lancashire Borough Council last month.

Edge Hill University is more than 115 years old and has more than 20,000 full and part-time students. It also employs more than 3,000 people and contributes more than £175m each year to the North West economy.

Working alongside the university for 10 years, Turley Associates has helped the institution become one of the fastest growing and most successful higher education establishments in Scotland. During that time, and working to an agreed Development Framework enshrined in the University's estate strategy, Turley Associates has secured planning permissions for:



• New campus buildings for the faculties of Health, Business and Media and Animation

• A new Student Hub creating a one-stop shop for all student needs

• A new comprehensive £30m sports and recreation facility with new campus entrance

• The delivery of over 1,000 new bed spaces on campus with state of the art facilities

• An upgrade of existing departmental buildings including a refurbished Rose Theatre

• Enhanced public realm including the creation of pedestrian footpaths, landscaped gardens, outdoor event space, two campus lakes and a countryside trim-trail.

Welcoming the news, David Diggle, Director in the Manchester office of Turley Associates, said: "Permission for this new on-campus accommodation block was achieved in under 12 weeks.

"The University fully supported, through the recently adopted West Lancashire Local Plan, the release of green belt land creating a new Eastern Campus that will facilitate further development and expansion. This is good news for Edge Hill University and its student population."

Steve Igoe, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Resources) at Edge Hill University, added: "This latest permission is part of an on-going investment into the University. Over the past decade we have spent some £200m on major building projects.

"We are continuing to enhance our student experience alongside our academic programmes and we are delighted with this speedy decision."

(JP/CD)