University Vet School Plan Gets The Go Ahead

Published on: 27 Nov, 2013
Updated on: 28 Nov, 2013

How the new vet school will look. It has been designed to make the most of natural light and heat.

Plans to create a world-leading centre for veterinary education and research at the University of Surrey have been given the green light by Guildford Borough Council.

The new School of Veterinary Medicine, one of only eight in the UK, embraces the ‘One Health – One Medicine’ philosophy to foster interdisciplinary collaborations in research and healthcare for humans and animals.

The University of Surrey has recently entered the top ten of the Guardian University League table at number eight. It’s ambitious plans for the new school will see the construction of three new buildings on its Manor Park campus.

A main academic building including offices, teaching spaces, lecture theatres, research laboratories, a café and, at its heart, a flagship small animal clinical skills centre. This will include:

a haptics laboratory which will contain simulators that teach students how to ‘feel’, allowing them to develop skills involving touch in clinical diagnosis, and a personal skills training centre with a mock veterinary surgery.
a veterinary pathology building including pathology laboratories associated with teaching and research into animal health.
a state-of-the-art large animal clinical skills centre including an animal examination area, a haptics teaching area which allows students to learn about animal anatomy via animal simulators, and livestock holding and handling areas.

The university has secured a grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for the veterinary clinical skills centre which combines modern techniques with traditional methods of animal examination.

The buildings, designed by leading architects firm Devereux Architects, make the most of natural light and heat. They will provide a unique training resource for the whole veterinary community, giving access to lifelong learning opportunities for practising veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, clinical scientists and other para-professionals, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Work on the site will begin early next year, with the buildings scheduled for completion in autumn 2015.

The School of Veterinary Medicine will accept its first cohort of students on the flagship BVMSci Veterinary Medicine & Science degree programme in September 2014. Students and staff will utilise the university’s existing first-class teaching and research facilities, including a new pathology laboratory which opened in February 2013, before moving to the Manor Park site.

Professor Lisa Roberts, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, comments: “We are delighted to be granted planning permission for this exciting project. Combining major investment in state-of-the-art facilities, our partnerships with veterinary research institutions and practices and a campus location, the new school will provide a stimulating environment, not only for the undergraduate students, but for the professional development training of qualified veterinary surgeons.

“Work on our new buildings can now begin and we look forward to welcoming the first cohort of students on our Veterinary Medicine and Science degree next September.”

Further information about the School of Veterinary Medicine and the BVMSci Veterinary Medicine and Science programme can be found on the University of Surrey website: www.surrey.ac.uk/vet

Information note: In addition to the campus on 150 hectares just outside Guildford, Surrey, the University also owns and runs the Surrey Research Park, which provides facilities for 110 companies employing 2,750 staff.