University of Cumbria has secured planning permission to extend its new campus in Barrow-in-Furness.
Revised plans for the Barrow campus on Buccleuch Dock Road, Barrow Island, including a two-floor 280 square metre extension, have been approved by Westmorland and Furness Council.
The new campus, which is currently under construction and funded by the Brilliant Barrow Town Deal, the university and BAE Systems, will open its door to students in September.
The expansion is required to create a dedicated clinical skills area for student nurses, supporting the delivery of its BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing programme.
This will sit alongside the original planning application, which was granted consent in spring 2023, which includes space for engineering learning labs, teaching rooms, digital library facilities, catering options, and improved car parking and cycle storage.
Council planning permission has been granted as the University of Cumbria’s Institute of Health continues to collaborate with University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust and other employers to develop higher-level skills for the region’s healthcare workforce.
By working with local health trusts and employers, the university says it will co-create inclusive and accessible higher education programmes that address the area’s future skills needs, contributing to Barrow’s broader growth plans.
The extension has received additional funding from the Brilliant Barrow Town Deal, which secured £25 million from the Government’s Towns Fund in 2021 for a number of local projects aimed at helping Barrow thrive for generations.
Caddick is constructing the new University of Cumbria Barrow campus, which is adjacent to the BAE Systems Submarines Academy for Skills and Knowledge.
The first academic programmes to be delivered from the new campus include:
• BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering with Integrated Foundation Year
• BSc (Hons) Computer Science (students will split their time between University of Cumbria’s Lancaster and Barrow campuses)
• BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing (providing teaching and placements in and around Barrow).
Professor Julie Mennell, vice chancellor, University of Cumbria said: “The project has already surpassed our initial expectations, and we are delighted that the extension has been approved. The extension will home our clinical skills area to support Adult Nursing provision at the campus.
“Our Barrow campus is a key initiative in the Brilliant Barrow vision, focused on transforming the area into a better place to live, work, study, and visit. With the campus set to open in September 2025, we are creating accessible pathways to higher education that will empower individuals, strengthen communities, and create a skilled workforce for the future.”
