You will have read in the previous update that we had decided to reschedule our move into Charles Street and, therefore, to delay the commencement of teaching in the building after the planned date of 8 February. This was because we identified a significant risk that the building would not be fully completed and handed over to us by our contractor Balfour Beatty by the 18 January, and any delay would not allow us enough time to ensure that the building is properly commissioned and operational. The risk this posed to the staff and student experience was simply too high. The delay, although very disappointing, allows us to provide this certainty of occupation to the faculty and to our students.
Although this was a decision taken after much serious deliberation, it has obviously had an impact on staff in the faculties and the directorates, and on our students who would have been in the building from February. In particular, the decision to delay has meant that teaching activities that were scheduled in Charles Street from 8 February have had to be moved into other buildings on campus. The timetabling team is currently working very hard to make alternative arrangements that are workable for teaching teams, students and within our available space, and these arrangements will be communicated out to staff through faculty teams and online timetables as soon as possible.
Work does continue to progress on Charles Street and the building is close to reaching completion, and we will ensure that the work has been completed to the high standard we expect before we complete any handover. However we are now confident that the new timescales give us sufficient time to complete the handover process with Balfour Beatty, complete the fit out and ensure the building is fully operational in time to begin teaching in the building immediately after Easter, on Monday 4 April.