The redevelopment will cut carbon dioxide emissions by over 300 tonnes and reduce energy usage by over 40%
The London Energy Efficiency Fund ("LEEF"), established under the Mayor of London’s Green Fund and managed by Amber Infrastructure Group ("Amber") has provided funding for the development of Roehampton’s state of the art media centre, which will provide facilities for students on Roehampton’s Film, Photography, Journalism, Languages and Digital Media courses.
LEEF has provided a loan facility of £3 million to Roehampton, to part finance the redevelopment of Roehampton’s Harvey building, located in the heart of the University’s campus in south-west London. The LEEF facility will contribute towards the funding of innovative energy efficiency measures such as air source heat pumps and solar treated glazing systems.
The project will create a dedicated hub for state-of-the-art film, television, photographic and sound studios, editing suites, a flexible creative space for students and a 90-seat cinema, all built around a glazed courtyard. It has been designed to be used for teaching, collaborative and independent learning, and promises to enhance students’ learning experience and help to enhance the University’s strong reputation for excellence in teaching and research.
LEEF is part of the European Commission’s Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas (“JESSICA”) initiative, which supports sustainable urban development and regeneration through repayable finance schemes for public and private sector institutions. LEEF’s backing of Roehampton is its first higher education project, a key sector as London heads towards its 2050 zero carbon ambition.
Since its launch, LEEF has supported a diverse range of projects that will result in the annual reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in London by approximately 36,500 tonnes; which is equivalent to removing 33,500 cars from the road.
LEEF has now invested over £80m of public sector funding into low carbon projects, while mobilising nearly £400m of third party finance across ten major carbon saving projects across the Capital.
Peter Radford, Investment Director at Amber Infrastructure Group said: “We are delighted to be supporting Roehampton’s redevelopment of the Harvey building. We have long seen the higher education sector as a leading sector in delivering low carbon projects in the Capital. This investment will act as an exemplar for future higher education deals for our recently launched Mayor of London’s Energy Efficiency Fund (“MEEF”).
Reggie Blennerhassett, Pro Vice-Chancellor & Director of Finance of University of Roehampton, said: “The funding provided by the London Energy Efficiency Fund will help us to create a new media centre that will not only provide excellent facilities for students, but will also be one that is delivered in line with our commitment to environmental sustainability. We are very grateful for the support to allow us to achieve both”.
ENDS
For further information:
| Erica Sibree / Amy Joslin T:+44 (0)20 7939 0558/0587 Amber Infrastructure Group |
Ed Berry/Mitch Barltrop T: +44 (0)20 3727 1046/1039 FTI Consulting |
Notes to Editors:
About the London Energy Efficiency Fund
LEEF is funded through £62 million of public investment from the European Regional Development Fund (“ERDF”), the Mayor of London and up to £50 million from The Royal Bank of Scotland (“RBS”).
Since its launch in 2011, LEEF has sourced and completed energy efficiency investments across London, partnering with SMEs, local authorities, charities, higher education institutions and NHS Trusts.
The fund is managed by an Amber consortium, which comprises the lead sponsor and manager Amber Infrastructure, RBS (as funder) and Arup (as technical advisor).
Amber is also the fund manager for the recently launched Mayor of London’s Energy Efficiency Fund, the successor ERDF support fund to LEEF.
About University of Roehampton
The University of Roehampton, London, is an established higher education institution based in south-west London. Its purpose is to change lives by helping students to develop the confidence, knowledge and adaptability they need for a successful graduate career and fulfilling life.
The University has a proud and distinguished history dating back to the 1840s. Through the oldest of its four Colleges, Whitelands, it has provided higher education to women for longer than any other university in the country. Its values come from this rich history, built on community, engagement and partnership, with a belief that no matter their background, the University can help students realise their ambitions.
Today, Roehampton has 9,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students studying on campus, and many more studying with its higher education partners. It is renowned for its broad range of expertise across teacher training, business, law, social sciences, literature, creative arts, humanities media and human and life sciences. It has world leading and internationally recognised research in these fields.
www.roehampton.ac.uk
About Amber Infrastructure Group
Amber Infrastructure Group (“Amber”) is a leading international infrastructure specialist, providing asset management and investment advisory services in respect of around £8 billion of assets in the UK, Europe, Australia and North America. Amber’s core business focuses on sourcing, developing, advising on, investing in and managing infrastructure assets within the utilities, PPP, transport, renewable energy and regeneration sectors.
Amber provides investment advisory services to International Public Partnerships
Limited as well as private investment funds, specialising in urban regeneration and energy efficiency. Amber is headquartered in London with offices in Munich, Sydney, Melbourne and San Francisco and employs over 100 people, making it one of the largest international infrastructure specialists.