Demolition contractors level old Newport university campus
The demolition of one of the original buildings of the University of Wales, Newport, is underway, in order to make way for a brand new housing development.
The Allt-yr-Yn campus, which was built in 1958, has been a popular part of the university with students and staff, but its facilities were not sufficient for modern demands.
Demolition contractors began work on the structures last week and anticipate finishing the demolition and clearance process within a matter of weeks.
The building is being razed along with the adjacent Harrison university building. Allt-yr-Yn had housed the business school, as well as the health and social sciences department, while the Harrison building contained a library. It was named after the first principal of Newport and Monmouthshire College of Technology, Fred W R Harrison, who worked at the site between 1958 and 1964.
The university’s director of facilities management, Stephen Godber, told the South Wales Argus that the campus had been a big part of Newport’s development into a University City, but that its demolition was for the best.
“There will certainly be a tear in the eyes of some academics and students for whom Allt-yr-Yn meant a lot, but everyone will recognise that it was right for the University to move on,” he said. “In comparison to the quality of the new City Campus, it didn’t even come close and the time was right for a brand new, purpose built space for our students.”
