Wexford County Council has announced a significant milestone in its collaboration with SETU to establish the Wexford University Campus facilities . The local authority has successfully moved to the final stages of the CPO for the land acquisition with the Notice to Treat stage for the parcel of land for the university’s ambitious expansion plans.
Cllr John Fleming, Cathaoirleach was delighted with the final steps in the journey to establishing a new University Campus in Wexford. He stated “We are excited to share this momentous occasion with our university SETU, the Wexford community and the greater South East Region. This is one of my proudest moments as the Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council and this next step in the CPO land acquisition will pave the way for a new chapter in our county’s history. Our commitment to the delivery of a new Wexford University Campus remains unwavering and will provide a legacy for future generations as one of the most strategic investments for County Wexford’s future. We are proud as the local authority to have played a key role in collaboration with our partners at SETU on this exciting investment project”.
Tom Enright, Chief Executive outlined that “this strategic land acquisition marks a crucial step in the South East Technological University’s commitment to providing students with state-of-the-art facilities, fostering enterprise and innovation, addressing the educational imbalance by increasing third level participation and providing a skilled workforce attracting inward investment as part of our economic development strategy. He went onto highlight that “the university campus will also facilitate opportunities to provide a multi shared sports complex and I am encouraged by the successful preliminary discussions with key sporting organisations, thus supporting the broader community” . He paid particular tribute to the elected members of Wexford County Council for their commitment and support to the establishment of the new university campus in Wexford town and was keen to emphasise that the local authority had played a key role to deliver on the shared vision of a strong university presence for Wexford. The next phase will see Wexford County Council working closely with SETU to develop a master plan for the university incorporating a number of strands including the university, sports facilities, and housing. Mr. Enright outlined that “we have advertised a tender process for the masterplan for SETU and will following assessment in the coming weeks expect to have a contract tender appointed next month. The acquisition of lands to facilitate the new SETU university Wexford campus is one of the most transformational infrastructural projects that will impact on the future lives of citizens in Wexford and regionally”.
President of SETU, Prof. Veronica Campbell welcomed the news that “following my recent meeting this month with WCC, the CPO is now nearing its final steps and this will enable SETU to provide enhanced university facilities in Wexford in accordance with SETU’s strategic plan, Connecting for Impact. I am delighted that in parallel to completion of the CPO, the process to create a masterplan vision for the site will now get underway, through the appropriate governance channels, to inform the construction of cutting-edge buildings for SETU’s teaching, research and innovation activities. SETU is committed to creating an environmentally responsible campus and
the design intent of our campus development in Wexford will incorporate sustainable design and green technologies to reduce the environmental impact”. President Campbell explained that the university will continue to engage with Wexford County Council, stakeholders and the local community to ensure that the new university facility benefits not only the campus community but also the region at large. She further stated that “this collaboration will open up new opportunities for industry partnerships and community involvement and we will be working closely with all stakeholders to ensure that the Wexford campus is developed to enable the knowledge-based economy, third level participation and future skills development to flourish”.
