Northern Ireland’s Employment and Learning Minister Stephen Farry has announced that the development of the new teaching block at Ulster University’s Magee campus has been approved.

The £11m development will deliver modern teaching accommodation which will facilitate a collaborative teaching approach at Magee and ensure that all available teaching space is used efficiently. Undergraduate student numbers at Magee have been increased by 568 by Minister Farry in recent years and the new teaching block is a necessary important addition to the Magee campus.

The new teaching block will increase the capacity of the campus in line with the One Plan’s interim target for an additional 1,000 students, and will include a 340 seat lecture theatre which is a significant increase on present facilities at the campus. Construction of the teaching block will commence later this year and will take two years to complete.

Minister Farry said: “This teaching block will be an essential component of the Magee campus and will meet the current and future needs of students and the University overall. It is vital that we have modern facilities in our higher education institutions to provide the best quality environment for teaching and research, and to ensure that in turn we are supporting our economy. This development is a strong signal of the importance of the Magee Campus to the economy in the North-West.”