Tangible positive impact on local economy as First Minister marks one year countdown to Bay Campus opening

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With less than 12 months to go until the new £450m Swansea University Bay Campus officially opens its doors, First Minister Carwyn Jones AM, was on site earlier today, to witness firsthand how investment in this flagship project is already benefiting local supply chains, jobs and skills.

Speaking from outside the newly ‘topped out’ Engineering Manufacturing Centre (known as the Engineering East building), supported by  £20m of EU funds delivered through the Welsh Government, the First Minister said: “The construction phase of this project is a leading light in terms of the jobs, skills and supply chain opportunities.  It also highlights the benefits that additional financial support from the EU and the Welsh Government can have on the lives of local people and future students.”

First Minister Bay Campus Visit October 2014Image (from left to right): Steve Burke, Construction Director, St. Modwen; First Minister Carwyn Jones; and Prof Richard B Davies, Vice-Chancellor, Swansea University.

Professor  Richard B. Davies, Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, said: “When the Bay Campus opens its doors to students next year, alongside our improved Singleton Campus, Swansea University will have a clear identity of being one University with two campuses, each providing an enhanced student experience, academic teaching and world-class research facilities.  EU and Welsh Government funding of our Engineering Manufacturing Centre, puts us in a strong position to use this world-class facility to incubate and commercialise cutting edge industry-led research and propel Wales onto the global knowledge economy stage.”

Since construction work began on site last May 2013, land owner and lead developer for the project, St. Modwen, has already awarded 102 contracts, totalling more than £66m, to local companies.  Family-owned construction company from Port Talbot, DJ Construction, was one of the first local firms to benefit from the project.  Initially appointed to provide groundwork support at the development, the company has since gone on to secure additional contracts at the Bay Campus, totalling £600k and more than doubling the company’s size from 7 to 18 permanent staff in the last 18 months, with its total swelling to around 30 at the peak of activity, earlier in 2014.

Rupert Joseland, regional director at St. Modwen, the UK’s leading regeneration specialist, said: “We are thoroughly committed to supporting local supply chains, jobs and skills at our Bay Campus development for Swansea University.  We have worked alongside our main contractors and their local training partners, to generate as many opportunities for local people as possible and it is great to see the positive impact of this, as evidenced by DJ Construction. 

“We are also committed to investing in the long term regeneration of South Wales and Swansea University’s Bay Campus is one of four long-term developments, totalling over £3bn of investment, that we currently have underway in the region. Collectively, these four developments will provide around 6 million sq ft of employment space, 30,000 jobs and more than 8,500 homes and supporting community facilities over the next 20-30 years to transform the area for future generations to enjoy.” 

First Minister Bay Campus Visit Image (from left to right): Prof Iwan Davies, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Swansea University; Prof Richard B Davies, Vice-Chancellor, Swansea University; First Minister Carwyn Jones; Steve Burke, Construction Director, St. Modwen; and Prof Javier Bonet, Head of the College of Engineering.

The Bay Campus construction phase has also delivered over 3,400 jobs on site – 76% from inside Wales and 19% from within a 10 mile radius of the development; provided over 1,700 weeks of work experience; helped over 30 local people back into work and supported 79 apprenticeships and trainees to date.  Recent success stories include Matthew Jones, 36, from Port Talbot, who has been helped back into employment on the Bay Campus by the Neath Port Talbot Workways team after being made redundant in December 2013. Matthew has been working as a full-time administrator for Swansea-based RDM Electrical, the main subcontractor delivering electrical and mechanical services at the development.

ERDFlogoThe 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.