Staff FAQs
You can view the planning application and documents on Exeter City Council’s website here: https://publicaccess.exeter.gov.uk/online-applications/
The application reference numbers are: West Park – 22/1746/RES and Grounds Compound – 22/1735/RES
When construction starts on the West park project colleagues who currently work in these buildings will be redeployed to other locations on campus. Colleagues will remain within their current service or department.
The earliest that construction will start is summer 2024, however the project is subject to University Council approval and timescales may change.
There will be no job losses or change to contracts as a result of the West Park project.
When construction starts on the West Park project colleagues who currently work in these buildings will be redeployed to other locations on campus. Colleagues will remain within their current service or department.
There will be no job losses or change to contracts as a result of the West Park project.
When construction starts on the West Park project colleagues who currently work in these buildings will be redeployed to other locations on campus. Colleagues will remain within their current service or department.
Yes, there will be no impact on your hourly rate.
Your contracted hours will remain the same however your shift pattern may change. We will do our best to offer you the same shift pattern where possible.
Your pension entitlement will remain the same.
When construction starts on the West Park project colleagues who currently work in these buildings will be redeployed to other locations on campus. Colleagues will remain within their current service or department.
We cannot confirm exact locations and roles staff will be redeployed to at this stage or exact timescales. We should be able to share more detail on the programme for the construction in the next few months when a contractor is appointed. The project is subject to University Council approval.
We will continue to communicate with colleagues before construction begins.
At this stage we are unable to confirm what will happen when the redevelopment has completed. However we will keep all colleagues up to date with plans and proposals as they develop.
Colleagues will be given as much notice as possible.
Colleagues will not need to reapply for their role.
When construction starts on the West Park project colleagues who currently work in these buildings will be redeployed to other locations on campus. Colleagues will remain within their current service or department.
There will be no change to contracts as a result of the West Park project.
We cannot confirm exact locations and roles colleagues will be redeployed to at this stage or exact timescales. We should be able to share more detail on the programme for the construction in the next few months when a contractor is appointed. The project is subject to University Council approval.
We will continue to communicate with colleagues before construction begins.
When construction starts on the West Park project colleagues who currently work in these buildings will be redeployed to other locations on campus. Colleagues will remain within their current service or department.
We cannot confirm exact locations and roles staff will be redeployed to at this stage or exact timescales. We also cannot confirm whether the redeployment to a new location will be permanent or temporary at this stage.
We should be able to share more detail on the programme for the construction in the next few months when a contractor is appointed. The project is subject to University Council approval.
We will continue to communicate with colleagues before construction begins.
Your contracted hours will remain the same however your shift pattern may change. We will do our best to offer you the same shift pattern where possible.
There will be no change to contracts as a result of the West Park project.
Redundancy isn’t applicable to this situation as we still need staff. Therefore, this would not be offered as part of the West Park Project. The University is however currently offering, for a limited period of time, a voluntary severance scheme, The Exeter Release Scheme (TERS), with applications open to all colleagues. More information about this can be found on the University’s web pages The Exeter Release Scheme | The Exeter Release Scheme | University of Exeter.
If you wish to change your working pattern or hours, then please let your line manager know and they can try and incorporate this when making the plans.
No, there will be plans in place to ensure that this is a smooth transition and that there will be no period where staff are unable to work.
A separate timeline will be created for this, and a plan will be put in place for a separate team to clear or move required objects. This will be communicated with you in good time.
The latest face-to-face meeting took place on Thursday 21 March 2024.
If you have more questions following this meeting please email WestPark@exeter.ac.uk. We would also encourage colleagues to speak to their line managers about any concerns or questions they may have.
The University takes health and safety very seriously. While the exact details have yet to be formulated, there is an expectation for the site boundaries to be securely fenced, well lit, and with pedestrian and vehicular routes clearly demarcated.
Everybody has a responsibility towards the health and safety of others, as well as their own. We expect regular dialogue with key project stakeholders to ensure the highest standards of health and safety are maintained.
During the process of the project students were invited to focus groups to discuss what it is they do and don’t like about their residences and what they would like to see in new residences. This included many things such as room sizes, social space, study space, retail and green spaces. This information was then taken away by each bidder to consider when putting together their tender document and plans for the build.
This hasn’t been confirmed in the plan yet but there will be support for students.
Causal staff can be defined within two categories, ‘temporary bank staff’ who are employed for a specific amount of time to complete a specific job and ‘casual staff’ that work on a shift or hourly basis.
Any staff on these types of employment will be reviewed alongside the contracted staff and may be relocated to other areas within Streatham Campus when construction on site begins.
There will not be a restaurant, however there will be a shop and study, social and multi-faith areas.
We are proposing to improve the location of the shop at Birks Grange to make it more visible and increase shop floor area (93sqm total). The new shop will be approximately twice the size of the existing one and similar in size to the Morrisons Daily at Cowley Bridge Road, to provide students with convenience and choice. This allows us to increase the number of bedrooms on the ground floor of the proposed CB block which is planned for located on the site of the current Birks Grange Central Block (dining hall).
The West Park project is being constructed in phases which means that there will be different levels of disruption throughout the course of the build. Customers are still able to book accommodationwith us but are being made aware before they arrive about the potential disruption.
Any Summer Schools that are booked to use Birks Grange accommodation during the summer season have been relocated to other accommodation on campus.
We have communicated with prospective students at Open Days, in the accommodation brochure and accommodation website about the potential disruption of the project.
Following final Council approval on the project, prospective students starting in September 2024 will be given more detail on the project and the potential disruption.
We are aware that students in these residences need an alternative reception space, and this is currently being reviewed by the project team. More information will be shared once the plan has been agreed.
At the moment there are no plans to increase the number of catered halls. This is due to a decline in student demand for this type of accommodation.
What we are currently seeing is students wanting more self-catered accommodation and a more flexible approach where they can buy meal plans and pick and choose when they wish to have a catered dining experience.
The project team are considering the option sfor a temporary shop in the area. We will share more details when a decision has been made.
The project team are considering the option of allowing construction workers to stay in University accommodation. We will share more details when a decision has been made.
The decant process for the building and relocation of colleaguesis currently being planned. Due to the large amount of furniture to be removed external agencies are likely to assist with the decant.
Conversations will be on-going with line managers whilst this is planned out and you will be kept up to date. During the decant process furniture will be separated in to piles for donations, recycling and reusing, where possible.
If there is urgent repair or maintenance work that needs to be carried out in the University’s residences, then requests for these should still be raised via the standard process.
The maintenance of accommodation on and off campus is constantly being reviewed.