Campus spine road landscape improvements
Position statement (September 2022)
The 2015 Estate Plan highlighted an important pedestrian route between the Moore Building and the International Building, through the heart of the campus towards Piggery Gate, and vice versa. Enhancement works were undertaken during summer 2021 to resurface the road and improve the crossing points and landscaping.
Background
This route generally follows the internal road which currently takes drivers from the Gate Lodge near Founder’s Building to the main car park 4 in the east. Prior to the enhancement works, the road surface had deteriorated and was in a poor state of repair. The opportunity existed to undertake landscape improvements along this road with better connections into the paths leading to academic buildings and social venues such as the Boilerhouse Café and Students’ Union.
Location
Figure 1: Location Plan of the campus spine between Moore Building and International Building
Relevance to the Estate Plan
The Estate Plan identified a new internal access and movement strategy across the campus. This included the removal of vehicles (parking) within the immediate setting of Founder’s Building, and the proposed remodelling of a new Piggery Gate junction. The expansion of car park 14 (to that which one sees today) was complemented by new landscaping and paths towards Founders. The campus spine road supports the move towards a less car/vehicle dominant campus, improving accessibility and the appearance of routes to various academic buildings along its length, and supplementing the landscape works already delivered in the Founder’s Square.
At the time of writing (September 2022) the university is progressing alternative plans for Piggery Gate which will see an opening up and enhancement of the formal entrance into campus, but in a proposal of significantly reduced scale when compared with emerging scheme designs presented in 2014/15.
Link with other Estate Plan Projects
The campus spine road improvements between the Moore and International Buildings are considered to be a natural extension of the landscape works in and around, and leading up to Founder’s Building, undertaken in recent years. The works seek to improve accessibility, legibility and add visual interest along an important pedestrian route. The scheme complements emerging proposals for the new Piggery Gate junction which will be progressed in autumn 2022 and, subject to appropriate permissions being secured, to be carried out in the spring and summer of 2023. Together, the spine road and Piggery Gate will create a strong pedestrian feel through the campus and reduce the number of vehicles travelling through the heart of the campus.