September 13, 2014, by Amy Stamper
Update on the Jubilee Campus fire
The University of Nottingham’s Registrar Dr Paul Greatrix said: “We can confirm that a major fire at our Jubilee Campus on the evening of Friday September 12 has completely destroyed our new GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry which was under construction.
“We are incredibly grateful to our staff and students for their fantastic response in dealing with this major incident and would like to express our gratitude to Notts Fire Service. It was the quick action of their fire crews which prevented this incident from being much more serious. We have also been extremely touched by the messages and best wishes from our close neighbours out in the community.
“We would like to thank the wider higher education community across the UK for its support – we have had many offers of help from other universities around the country, for which we are extremely grateful.
“To put this loss into perspective, we need to remember that this was one building, that thankfully no one was injured and that the fire was prevented from spreading further on to campus.
“We want to stress that it is business as usual at The University of Nottingham. Our Open Day 2014, to which we will be welcoming thousands of prospective students and their families is going ahead as planned and will be unaffected by the incident. Our ability to deliver teaching and research through our Chemistry department is completely unaffected by this incident.
This is a setback for us but one from which we have no doubt we will recover. The University of Nottingham has an international reputation for scientific excellence, underpinned by the world-leading expertise of our academics. It is upon those strong foundations that we will rebuild and renew for the future.
The GlaxoSmithKline Carbon Neutral Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry is a landmark building which is the embodiment of the University’s commitment to sustainability in all its forms, particularly in the area of green chemistry and we will be working closely with our partners at GSK, and the contractors Morgan Sindall, to develop a positive plan of action for rebuilding.
Will I be able to cycle up Triumph Road tomorrow (Monday 15th) from Derby Road or along the cycle path that runs along the north edge of the GSK site? I know there is no vehicular access along Triumph Road but what about pedestrians and bikes?
There has been no access for any members of the public from Derby Road and we’ve had no confirmation that it’s been re-opened as yet. So, it’s safest to assume that you’ll need to find another route.
This sucks!