Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson has been briefed on the UNE Tamworth Central project by the project team including architectural firm Architectus and UNE.

Mr Anderson said it was good to see the dream of a university campus for Tamworth begin to be realised after the state government committed $26.6 million towards the project.

“It’s great to hear that the UNE Tamworth project is moving forward with the project team kicking into gear to build the campus we’ve been fighting for,” Mr Anderson said.

“For too long, local families have faced the difficult decision of sending their kids away to get a tertiary education.

“That’s why I fought hard to secure the $26.6 million NSW Government commitment towards the project, ensuring that we could get on with the job of building the campus we need.”

The project team also met with the Tamworth University Reference Group and the group’s Chair Mitch Hanlon said they were pleased with the progress and impressed with the way the designs would blend into the land and streetscape, helping to revitalise the Southern end of Peel Street.

“We were impressed with the effort and understanding of the Tamworth natural and built environment. I think they have come up with a design that will suit the site and the Peel Street streetscape and the Peel River,” Mr Hanlon said.

“This will define the Southern part of Peel Street for the next century. The space will have a high level of amenity and usefulness. It’s going to be a shared space. It will not be a walled off community and it will be a part of Tamworth.”

Mr Anderson added that it was good to see the project team had a goal of submitting the Development Application in late August/early September, meaning the concept design would be ready for public release.