Purchase of Brookfield site will help University of Leicester to consolidate and enhance educational provision

Issued by University of Leicester Press Office on 1 May 2013

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The University of Leicester has purchased the Brookfield site - the former location of De Montfort University’s Charles Frears campus - for £2.9m it is announced today (Thursday May 2).

The 7.35 acres site on London Road, Leicester, some 10 minutes’ walk from the University of Leicester campus, is in keeping with the University’s strategic objective to develop the very best, state-of-the-art, facilities for its staff and students.

Funding for the purchase will come from a combination of loans and the University’s reserves.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester Professor Sir Robert Burgess said: “This acquisition is a key part of our £1 billion Development plan. In a global marketplace for education, it is essential that the physical attributes of the University reflect its world-class research and teaching. What we are developing at Leicester clearly reflects the kind of institution we are and our ambition to be one of the best in the country.”

University of Leicester Director of Estates and Facilities Management, Trevor Humphreys, said: “The University’s strategic plan envisaged the need for additional land and an allocation of capital had been set aside for such a purchase, so there is no impact on other capital projects.

“The purchase enables the University to continue with its objectives of estate improvement and, in the long term, the University of Leicester estimates that the purchase will save millions of pounds as it will no longer need to lease other local premises to accommodate its services.

“The site has a real parkland campus feel to it, which will be a great benefit for staff and students who may be located there, and complement the high quality environment already experienced on the University’s main campus and at its student village in Oadby.”

The University of Leicester will retain the original name, Brookfield, in recognition of the main house and oldest building on site. The house, built in the 19th century, was once owned by Thomas Fielding Johnson, the principal benefactor of the University of Leicester after whom the original building of the University of Leicester is already named.

David Carrott, Director of Estates at De Montfort University, said: “Following a successful bid from the University of Leicester, De Montfort University has sold the former Charles Frears campus, which was used by students and staff from the School of Nursing and Midwifery until 2011.

“This sale completes our planned campus consolidation programme, as we drive forward a multi-million-pound investment in university facilities and the transformation of our city centre campus over the next three years.

“It’s great to hear that the University of Leicester will be developing the former Charles Frears campus and will continue to use it for educational purposes.”

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