As we approach the closure date of Broadlands car park, we wanted to send a reminder to staff who use the car park that it will be permanently closed on 15 April to facilitate the construction of the new cutting edge teaching and learning facilities. Work on site will begin in mid-April, following a very positive public Consultation on the plans in November.
Development of this site, which has been planned for several years, will ensure we meet our goals of providing the world-class facilities that our students and staff have told us they need, supporting our plans for growth in our staff and student numbers, and creating a more sustainable and inclusive campus. The new building, one of the centre-pieces of our major estates transformation, should be ready for use from the 2027/28 academic year.
To enable the initial work to start in April, the Broadlands car park will permanently close from Monday 15 April 2024. This means all cars must be removed from the car park by 22:00 on Sunday 14 April.
The need for the car park closure was highlighted in the public consultation last autumn, and in developing the plans for the North-East Quadrant (NEQ) we have carefully considered the implications for alternative parking availability and capacity, and ensuring adequate provision for those with mobility needs.
Car parking options
The parking teams have spent many months assessing the use of all our University car parks to understand the impact that closure of the Broadlands car park will have on our overall parking capacity.
The data shows clearly that even on the busiest days there was sufficient capacity across our three closest alternative car parks on every day of the study period, assuming Broadlands car park had been closed:
- Hampton car park (opposite Broadlands car park)
- South Broadlands car park (next to Broadlands car park)
- Boldrewood campus – including the Multi-Storey Car Park previously used by Lloyd’s Register, which is now open
This will mean that all colleagues who currently use the Broadlands car park will need to plan to use one of the three main alternative car parks instead, from Monday 15 April 2024. We of course recognise this may initially cause some concerns, and a change to routines, which is why we are providing several weeks’ notice, and additional information, so colleagues can plan their alternative arrangements.
A dedicated SharePoint page, has been prepared to provide more information on the exciting NEQ development, together with some FAQS and information about parking and transport.
Please find below a map with information about the alternative parking locations, including the distance from Highfield Campus and the time taken to walk to the centre of Highfield from each car park.
Select image to enlarge
For those who might find it more convenient, there is also plenty of capacity at our Avenue Campus car park.
We are currently developing a long-term parking and transport strategy, with sustainability at its heart, as part of our major estates transformation.
This will include developing a new app-based approach to parking permits, which could also allow us to provide a real-time update on parking space availability for all our car parks, and which we would like to have in place for the next academic year. We also need to ensure that car parking capacity is available to those who need it most on any individual day, and spread car park usage more evenly and fairly across the full working week. We hope to provide more information over the summer.
Supporting our Sustainability Goals
The University is fully committed to meeting our sustainability goals, something we know is deeply important to our community and is regularly reflected in staff and student survey results. The construction of the new NEQ building will be completed to meet BREEAM Excellent certification, it will be surrounded by high-quality green space which enhances the biodiversity of the existing site and creates an environment for outdoor study and relaxation.
Providing more forms of sustainable transport is also an important part of meeting our sustainability goals, whilst supporting Southampton City Council’s aim to reduce car usage in our city. Highfield campus is easily accessed by a wide range of alternative sustainable travel options including our UniLink Bus networks, lift sharing, E-scooters and E-Bikes, and it is also part of Southampton’s cycle network, supported by secure cycle storage across campuses, and shower facilities within buildings. This new site will also look to support use of shared mobility solutions such as Beryl hire bikes and voi e-scooters through the integration of a mobility hub.
To find out more about our sustainable transport methods please visit our website.
The new building
The new teaching and learning facility will provide a number of benefits to our community, including large lecture theatres and additional state of the art flexible teaching and study spaces. All spaces will be multi-departmental and will be supported by a Student Hub, modernising the delivery of pastoral and wellbeing support for students.
You can view an artist’s impression fly-through video of the new building on the project SharePoint page.
