£2.5 science lab unveiled

The university welcomed trustees of the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust to the opening of the new laboratories, which had been made possible by the donations

The trust made a substantial contribution to the £2.5 million extension to the 30-year-old Princess Margaret Laboratories, helping the University to realise its ambition to "have larger, more modern teaching laboratories, a specialist microbiology room and a new anatomy teaching facility."

Dr David Llewellyn, vice-chancellor of the university, said: “The main aim in creating the Elizabeth Creak Building was to increase our facilities and capacity for teaching agricultural science and to enhance our current teaching facilities.

"We are extremely grateful to the trustees of the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust for what they have helped us to achieve."

Funding for the work was secured from the Government and donors, including the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust.

The new development will be located adjacent to the Princess Margaret Laboratories at the university campus in Edgmond.

The project has been backed by the Princess Royal, who is the university’s chancellor, who she said she looked forward to seeing the plans come together.

A report lodged with the planning application last year said the number of students using the facilities had grown tremendously over the last 30 years.

The new labs, the report said, will help to relieve pressure on the older buildings.

It said: “The laboratories are now struggling to cope with demand and academic staff are delivering the same undergraduate laboratory sessions many times over to ensure that all students can benefit from a better understanding of agricultural science.

"The university recognises that this approach does not make the best use of staff time and does not provide the best possible experience for students.

“To address the increased demand for laboratory space, the university seeks to create new flexible modern facilities to complement its existing laboratories.”

The current university campus site opened in 1901 and was developed in the 1920s with agricultural buildings.

Further development took place in the 1960s and recently completed projects, adjacent to the proposed site, include the Agricultural Engineering Innovation Centre and the Weston Building, which opened in 2013 and has a 260 seat lecture theatre, IT classrooms, self accessible computers and a range of seminar rooms.

The Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust was established in memory of Elizabeth Creak, a former High Sheriff of Warwickshire, who previously ran a significant dairy farm.