Summary sheet
- Education - Education
The project concerns the construction, redevelopment and refurbishment of facilities of the Aston University (AU) Business School, Institute of Photonic Technologies, School of Languages and Social Sciences, Medical School and the University's main building on the campus in Birmingham.
The objective is to expand Aston University's offerings, and to update and improve the quality of the teaching and research facilities of the university. Refurbishment and restructuring of academic and administrative space aims to improve facilities within the five Schools of Study, to cater for growth in student and staff numbers and to enhance the service quality to students. The project will also improve the energy efficiency of the university premises.
Universities and research institutions are not specifically mentioned in Directive 2011/92/EU on environmental impact assessment (EIA). An EIA is therefore not required in accordance with the EIA Directive. However, parts of the investment cover the construction of new facilities and therefore may be covered by Annex II of the directive in relation to urban development. The need for an EIA will be decided by the competent authority. The university estimates that the project will be energy-neutral, as the savings in refurbished buildings will compensate for the increased energy consumption of the new constructions.
Aston University complies with national and European legislation governing the procurement of publicly financed projects in the UK. The procedures and subsequent thresholds implemented by Aston University have involved OJEU publication and are adequate for the project and acceptable to the Bank.