A consortium comprising Bilfinger Berger Project Investments (BBPI), GRAHAM , O’Hare & McGovern and Farrans has reached financial close with South Eastern Regional College and The Department for Employment and Learning, to provide four new Further Education colleges in counties Down and Antrim, Northern Ireland.
This significant milestone marks the end of the negotiation phase and the start of a 3-year construction period, which will be followed by a 25-year operational period.
The sponsoring consortium, East Down and Lisburn Education Partnership (EDLEP), is led by BBPI, with local partners O’Hare & McGovern and Farrans as building contractors, whilst GRAHAM Facilities Management will provide FM services. The projects, with a £60m capital value, will replace existing accommodation which fails to meet modern requirements and has been in urgent need of repair for some time. The new accommodation will be provided at the newly-merged South Eastern Regional College at its Downpatrick, Newcastle and Ballynahinch campuses (the former East Down Institute) and at Lisburn.
All the buildings are designed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly, as well as providing an environment which enables the teaching and learning experience to be exciting and progressive. They will also provide a space where students can engage learning in a way that develops, stretches and ecites their imagination.
Employment and Learning Minister, Sir Reg Empey, announced the commencement of the construction phase. Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony, he said: “This is a significant milestone in the development of the much needed educational accommodation for the people of the Lisburn and South Down areas. This development will allow the College to continue to deliver first class education and training to the local areas.
“Skills, together with enterprise, infrastructure, research and development, are the key drivers of our economic vision for Northern Ireland. Of these, skills development presents the greatest challenge, but offers the greatest potential for improvement. If skills, or the lack of skills, is the problem, then Further Education must play a critical role in the solution.”