• Charles Sturt awards contract for Stage 2B of its nearly $66m development to double the capacity of its Port Macquarie campus
• Lahey Constructions announced as the successful contractors, with the development completion date schedule for January 2021
• Stage 2B Development will build the Port Macquarie International Education Centre

Charles Sturt University has awarded a contract for Stage 2B of its almost $66 million project to expand the facilities at its Port Macquarie campus.

The University announced the winning contractor is Lahey Constructions, a well-established construction firm in the Mid North Coast region with extensive experience developing educational facilities and institutions.

The Stage 2B Development will see the construction of the Port Macquarie International Education Centre, which is part of a larger development project that will enable the University to admit an additional 1800 students, 430 of which will be international students.

Stage 2B of the project has been awarded NSW Government funding of $15.08 million as part of the Regional Growth Fund’s Growing Local Economies program, which was established under the Restart NSW Fund.

The construction of the Stage 2B development will soon commence and is scheduled to be completed in January 2021.

Director of External Engagement for Port Macquarie Ms Kate Wood-Foye (pictured, left) said it is exciting the construction of the new Port Macquarie International Education Centre will soon be underway and it is a major win for education in the city.

“The new education centre will provide our campus with a wide variety of modern learning and teaching facilities, and will bring significant opportunities for growth to our region,” Ms Wood-Foye said.

“It will boost our regional economy, help to highlight our region on the international stage as a centre for education, and encourage more students to choose to study on the Mid North Coast.

“All of the new facilities we are building at the campus will globalise the skills, knowledge and economy of the Mid North Coast for the benefit of not only our region’s cities and rural towns, but also for the benefit of communities across NSW.

“Charles Sturt University is excited for the new centre and is looking forward to working with Lahey Constructions on its development and eventually, welcoming our students to the centre.”

Member for Port Macquarie the Hon. Leslie Williams welcomed the awarding of the contract, which represents another key milestone for the facility.

“I am very excited that construction is about to start for the Port Macquarie International Education Centre, which will complement the refurbished nursing facility opened in November last year,” Ms Williams said.

“The new facilities are going to more than double the number of students accommodated on campus, while the new education offerings will deliver a full-service campus of international standards. 

“This is going to boost the learning and professional opportunities for young people in the Mid North Coast, attract students from outside the region and internationally, and create long-term economic benefits for the regional community.”

The Stage 2B development is part of the larger $66 million development project, funded by Charles Sturt and the NSW Government, for the University’s campus and the Mid North Coast region to become the largest centre of international teaching and learning outside of NSW’s metropolitan areas.

The development was designed to integrate with and enhance the Port Macquarie Hastings Council’s Health and Education Precinct Plan. 

Stage 2A and 2B of this project will be built over 6,300 square metres and double the capacity of the University’s Port Macquarie campus. When completed it will include a number of state-of-the-art flat-floored and tiered learning and teaching spaces, a laboratory, breakout and meeting spaces, student kitchens and facilities, a space for small events, and additional car parking.

The entire project will raise the number of students the Port Macquarie campus can admit from 1,000 to 2,800, creating the largest international campus outside of metropolitan cities in NSW.

The University has already started to expand the Port Macquarie campus’s course offerings, with the first cohort of students for the Bachelor of Nursing commencing at the campus this year.

Additional facilities that will be built in the $66 million development project include:

• A dedicated NSW Emergency Services training room that will support existing Criminal Justice, Public Safety and Security and Paramedicine courses offered at the campus as well as made available to NSW Police, SES, Ambulance and other regional emergency service providers for professional development, collaboration and exercises.
• An Innovation Hub, connecting the University’s teaching, learning and research capabilities and capacities with local businesses to boost the Mid North Coast’s international-competitiveness and support the creation and development of new start-up businesses, including technology firms in Port Macquarie.
• Student support and amenity services and staff facilities and offices for new employees.