UCLan is to create a four-storey veterinary medicine school on its Preston campus, making it the only facility of its kind in Lancashire.

Subject to securing future planning permission, the UCLan property will be home to the 11^th Veterinary School in the UK and be a base for students and staff on foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

It will cover veterinary medicine, bioveterinary science, veterinary clinical practice, veterinary physiotherapy and rehabilitation, and clinical animal behaviour and training.

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Dr Heather Bacon OBE, Veterinary Clinical Senior Lecturer, said: “As the newest School of Veterinary Medicine in the UK, we strive to create the very best teaching and learning facilities.

“Our flagship five-year BVMS course is an innovative programme and hands-on from Year 1, rather than in later years as delivered in more traditional programmes.

“We need a state-of-the-art building that will house world-class clinical simulation and teaching spaces utilising cutting-edge veterinary technology to support our integrated and practical approach to veterinary education.”

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It will be constructed on what is currently UCLan’s Greenbank Car Park, off Victoria Street, based at the Preston Campus.

High-specification anatomical skills laboratories will be created across three floors, alongside simulated clinical facilities, including a pharmacy, diagnostic suite, and simulated operating theatres.

A microscopy laboratory and dental room will also be built alongside teaching rooms and office spaces.

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UCLan Vice-Chancellor Professor Graham Baldwin added: “As the second vet school in the north of England, our plan demonstrates our commitment to creating the veterinary workforce of the future.”

The project will also see the refurbishment of a ground floor section of the Greenbank Building.

It will include kennel facilities, simulated consultation rooms, a rehabilitation suite and other veterinary teaching and clinical skills facilities.

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The Greenbank Building refurbishments should be ready to welcome the first cohort of Bachelors of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVMS) students in September 2023, while the new building is planned to be completed by September 2024.

The university will collaborate with UCLan’s Associate School, Myerscough College and University Centre, and veterinary partners across the region to deliver programmes of study.

Myerscough has delivered land-based education for more than 125 years and has experience with veterinary nursing, animal science, equine science and agriculture degrees.

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UCLan’s students will benefit from Myerscough’s renowned animal husbandry facilities.

They have underpinned their established Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons accredited vet nursing programmes.

The School of Veterinary Medicine is being established on an ethical basis with a commitment to sustainability, and the new building meets BREEAM accreditation standards.

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Before submitting the planning document to Preston City Council, the university will contact residents close to the area on Victoria Street.

It will host a drop-in event in UCLan’s Greenbank Foyer between 4.00pm and 7.00pm on 14 June.

If passed later this year, construction work could start as early as March 2023.

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