Morgan Sindall has successfully completed a £15 million mixed use development for the Royal Veterinary College in Hatfield, Hertfordshire.

The scheme comprised the development of accommodation for 205 students, a 200-seater restaurant and three training rooms.

The Royal Veterinary College, which is the UK's first and largest veterinary school, remained operational throughout the build, so careful liaison and communication between college staff and the Morgan Sindall team was key to ensuring that construction activity did not affect the day-to-day running of the campus.

The project involved the development of nine accommodation blocks of between three and four storeys, based around a central courtyard and linked by common open access stairs. Each floor of the accommodation blocks feature six fully-equipped en-suite rooms and a communal kitchen and lounge area.

John Homer, construction managing director for Morgan Sindall in the south east, says: “Student accommodation has taken great strides forward in recent years, especially in terms of facilities, and we were delighted to be able to deliver this ambitious, forward-thinking project for the Royal Veterinary College. The upgraded campus brings a wealth of benefits to students at the college, providing them with an attractive, sustainable space in which to live and learn.”

Alasdair Esson, Head of Estates.at the Royal Veterinary College says: "In bringing a large scale construction project onto a busy campus environment, it was important to us that the project should proceed without disturbing students, staff or animals. We were impressed by how the Morgan Sindall team managed the task effectively with minimal disruption and are extremely pleased with the outcome.

"The new accommodation and leisure facilities are an important part of the ongoing effort to provide the best possible university experience for our students."

The top two floors of the accommodation blocks were clad with vertical timber cladding to complement other buildings on the campus, while external facing brick work has been used on the lower levels of the development, to reflect the college’s countryside location.

ENDS

For more information about this news release please contact Ruth Cobban at Paver Smith on 0151 239 5000 or email cobban@paversmith.co.uk