Universities must rationalise estates, says architect

UNIVERSITIES should make more of their property assets if they want to survive under the Government’s new funding regime, according to a leading architect specialising in education.

From next September the Government will withdraw funding from all courses outside the subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics/medicine (STEM).

Tony Skipper, managing director at Manchester architect John McAslan & Partners, is advocating the consolidation of rambling university estates as a way of cutting costs and raising cash to revamp existing facilities.

John McAslan has already worked with Manchester Metropolitan University on its plans to shrink its seven sites down to three. It is disposing of buildings to focus on revamped campuses in central Manchester and Crewe and a proposed new development in Hulme which was masterplanned by John McAslan.

“Estate rationalisation is something that can bring real value,” said Skipper. “With the MMU the amount of money that’s saving them enables them to be much more focused on better quality buildings.”

He added: “MMU not only has cash reserves but it will be funding some of its capital programme through the disposal of assets like Didsbury. The University of Manchester is doing the same with some of the old UMIST assets.

“The struggle at the moment is it’s not the best time to sell so some universities have cash flow issues. They’ve got assets but know they won’t realise maximum receipts if they sell in the current climate.”

John McAslan, which also has offices in London and Edinburgh, set up in Manchester 10 years ago to focus on construction projects at schools and universities.

It worked on MMU’s new £10m law school from 2000-03, the University of Manchester’s £54m University Place from 2003-08, and Lancaster University Management School’s £6.5m Waterside building from 2007-10.

It is also working with Balfour Beatty and Willmott Dixon on Building Schools for the Future projects that are still committed.

Mr Skipper expects the new funding arrangements to put pressure on universities to offer students who are paying higher fees the latest buildings and facilities.

“We may well find the lesser institutions suffering because they can’t maintain academic standards and also because they don’t have sufficient reserves and fees to maintain their estates,” he said. “The focus will be on those best-placed to serve the market.”