University prepares to welcome healthcare students into landmark £33million facility

InterCity Place has created a state-of-the-art space in which to train and develop future healthcare professionals
Doug Scott from Kier and Professor Judith Petts CBE at InterCity Place
The University of Plymouth is strengthening its position at the forefront of healthcare education in the South West.
InterCity Place, overlooking the city’s railway station, has been transformed through a £33million project that has breathed new life into one of Plymouth’s most iconic buildings.
It has created a state-of-the-art space in which to train and develop the next generation of nurses, midwives, allied health professionals​, optometrists and social workers.
Within the 11-storey building, students will hone their skills in brand new teaching facilities using a range of health technologies and digital innovations​.
The development is part of a University investment of almost £100 million in teaching and learning that also includes cutting edge engineering and design facilities in the new Babbage Building.
The transformed spaces will welcome both new and returning students, including those about to receive their A level results, from September 2023.
Work on the InterCity Place project has been led by the Kier Group, which also constructed the University’s £17million Derriford Research Facility, opened by HRH The Princess Royal in May 2018.
Professor Judith Petts CBE, the University’s Vice-Chancellor, received the keys to InterCity Place earlier this week from Doug Lloyd, Operations Director of Kier Regional Building Western & Wales.

It’s incredibly exciting to be able to take over this landmark building which offers so many opportunities for training our next cadre of health professionals. We are looking forward to our first students arriving in just a few weeks’ time.

Judith Petts DBEProfessor Dame Judith Petts DBE
Emeritus Professor

InterCity Place

InterCity Place

The regeneration of the railway building, which first opened in 1962, also furthers the University’s commitment to sustainability, which saw it become only the second university in the UK to secure carbon neutral status earlier this year.
Designed to SKA Gold standard, InterCity Place benefits from photovoltaic panels on its top deck and uses air source heat pumps linked to mechanical ventilation and heat recovery units in individual rooms.
The facades have been replaced with a modern and thermally efficient rain screen incorporating vertical fins for solar shading, while 94% of the project’s construction waste was diverted from landfill.
The building’s completion marks the first major milestone in the Brunel Plaza development, being driven by a partnership involving the University, Plymouth City Council, Network Rail, and Great Western Railway, supported by the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership.

InterCity Place is a significant development for nursing and midwifery education at the University of Plymouth. Academic staff will utilise the state-of-the-art clinical skills spaces to support students to become highly skilled, confident and compassionate practitioners. In addition, the space is also geared to support high quality research and collaborations across nursing, midwifery and the health sciences. These excellent facilities underpin our approach to develop excellent nursing and midwifery professionals who meet the current and future needs of NHS and social care in the South West and beyond.

Aled JonesProfessor Aled Jones
Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery

For around 40 years, we have been at the pinnacle of quality health education in the South West with nationally regarded programmes in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, paramedicine, dietetics, optometry, and social work. InterCity Place builds on that, but is also the start of a new chapter for our school with its cutting-edge skills development laboratories. It will enable us to continue embracing new opportunities and collaborations, and lead, innovate, inspire, and shape the healthcare landscape while paving the way for even greater successes.

Sally AbeyDr Sally Abey
Head of School of Health Professions

 

"Students are going to love this place"

Among the Kier team who worked on the project from start to finish was University of Plymouth graduate Megan Douglas. The company sponsored her through her BSc (Hons) Construction Project Management course, ahead of her becoming a quantity surveyor with Kier when she graduated:
“I had such a brilliant experience at the University, and I’m really pleased to have worked on InterCity Place since the project began back in March 2020. At first, I wondered how the project might take shape, but what’s been achieved is nothing short of amazing. It really shows what you can do, through a clear vision and hard work. The results are incredible and students are going to love this place.”
Megan Douglas - University graduate working for Kier on InterCity Place
Megan Douglas
 

Faculty of Health

Exceptional clinical and academic learning, social engagement and research in medicine, dentistry, nursing, psychology and health professions.
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