New Campus Glasgow
New Campus Glasgow questions and answers
Question
What's been happening since February 2007?
Answer
The colleges have set up New Campus Glasgow Ltd, the company which will deliver the project, and the company has hired a project team. The four colleges jointly own New Campus Glasgow Ltd.
Between them, the colleges and New Campus Glasgow have been working together to establish in detail how much (and what types of) space the new campus needs to provide. At the same time, they have been working with a design team to create a 'master plan' for the new campus. All of this will provide the building blocks for the design of the new campus.
New Campus Glasgow has appointed the financial, technical and legal advisors for the project, and appointed the architect team in September 2009. With the help of these advisors they will cost up the development at the stage it is now and work out the strategy for delivering the project which represents best value for money. All of this work will come together in a full business case which New Campus Glasgow intends to submit to SFC in summer 2010 for approval.
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Question
I have heard that the Scottish Funding Council has to approve the project - has it done so already?
Answer
SFC has given a commitment in principle to support the project. But large capital projects like this must go through four formal approval stages before they are given the final go-ahead to start building. The project is currently approaching stage two - approval of the full business case.
New Campus Glasgow will seek final approval from SFC after it has developed a detailed design, invited bids, negotiated with bidders and can give as much certainty about the price as is possible.
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Question
Someone mentioned something about plans for a new marine skills centre - is this part of the New Campus Glasgow project?
Answer
A new marine skills training centre is under construction on the banks of the river Clyde in front of the Glasgow College of Nautical Studies. This is an integral part of the new campus project but it will be built in 2009-10, before the contractors set to work on the main campus.
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Question
The Scottish Funding Council provided £5 million to the project in February 2007 - what has this been used for?
Answer
This has been used for the development of the overall master plan, the modelling of space use and the design for the marine skills centre. The fund has also supported legal and technical support and project management costs.
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Question
I've seen a cost of £300 million quoted in the press, is this accurate and what does it include?
Answer
This is the estimated capital cost of the project, based on the initial business case approved in February 2007. It includes costs related to construction and fit-out but does not include the cost of running the campus after it has been built. It is based on certain assumptions (such as the size of the new campus, the costs of construction, the interest and availability of contractors and the level of construction inflation) which will need to be tested during the pre-construction period before a final cost can be reached and final approval can be given to go ahead with the project.
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Question
I have previously seen costs of around £200 million quoted. Does this mean the costs have gone up?
Answer
No - the £200 million figure represents the estimated net present value (NPV) of the project. This is just a different way of presenting the value of a project. It is derived from the same cost plan as the £300 million capital cost estimate.
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Question
Who will decide if the project represents good value for public money?
Answer
SFC will scrutinise the proposals thoroughly before giving final approval to start on site. This approval will only be given if the SFC is convinced that the project represents the best possible value for money and is affordable to both the public purse and the colleges concerned. The Scottish Government must also approve the project before it can go ahead.
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Question
When is New Campus Glasgow due for completion?
Answer
The final phase is due to be completed in 2016.