NESCol Reveals Plans For £64m Campus Redevelopment Projects

North East Scotland College (NESCol) has revealed proposals for a £64 million campus redevelopment programme.

Features include the £40m refurbishment of its Aberdeen City Campus and a new build at Aberdeen Alterns Campus.

Fraserburgh and Peterhead will benefit from smaller projects, with £8.5m being set aside to build engineering technology facilities at Fraserburgh.

BDP Architects were appointed earlier this year to assess College estates in their current condition and make recommendations.

Works at Aberdeen City Campus include refurbishing the Tower Basement (£6m) and over-cladding/re-roofing the Tower & East Block (£8m), including creating a series of 'Faculty Hubs'.

In addition to creating a central hub for both students and the surrounding community, a £28m refurbishment project will take place at the South Block.


Features include developing a "high quality learning space" with a variety of areas centred around the existing courtyards along with a new College Main Entrance.

A "College High Street" will also be created on the South Block's ground floor, including a Health and Fitness Suite, a College bakery / shop, exhibition space and entrepreneurship incubation units.

At Aberdeen Altens Campus, £21.4m will go towards developing a new building and refurbishing existing structures.

The new building will be an integrated facility with workshops, teaching, staff and social facilities combined.

A £8.5m project to provide 2,000m2 of new facilities will be carried out at Fraserburgh campus, while Peterhead recently underwent a £1m upgrade.

Principal Rob Wallen said: "The College has carried out a number of estates projects over the last few years including the re-clad of the City Campus, the refurbishment of the Tower Basement, MBlock at Altens Campus, the Ellon Learning Centre and the STEM facilities at Fraserburgh totaling £38.9 million

"The majority of work has been funded from the College’s reserve, built up from its commercial activity. For this next phase we will need additional funding – such as has recently been provided by the Scottish Government for projects in Glasgow, Ayr and Inverness.

"If funding were available, the project could be completed in four years with work on campuses carried out simultaneously. However, as funding to complete the project has not yet been secured, timescales have still to be agreed and will be dependent on available finance."

(LM/MH)