UNIVERSITY Campus Suffolk bosses have today announced a specialist accommodation office will be built in the new development to smooth relations between landlords, students and the public.

UNIVERSITY Campus Suffolk (UCS) bosses have today announced a specialist accommodation office will be built in the new development to smooth relations between landlords, students and the public.

As developers earmark potential sites to house the expected influx of students, UCS chiefs today spoke of their plans to manage the impact of turning Ipswich into a student town.

Carol Macaskill, UCS business operations manager, said Suffolk's first university will include the office to manage problems expected as Ipswich's student population increases.

She added: “The office will interface between students and landlords and work in both their interests. The office will provide conflict resolution as well mediating between landlords, students and the public.”

Planning permission has already been granted to build a 130 unit student block at Stoke Bridge and UCS managers are in discussion with a number of developers who have expressed an interest in providing student accommodation. Private landlords are also expected to rent out houses to students.

Ms Macaskill said: “We are looking to work in partnership with developers. Students make good tenants. They pay their rent, they leave when they say they will and they spend a lot of money in the local economy.”

Ms Macaskill also said students would be unlikely to contribute to traffic congestion in Ipswich town centre.

She added: “They work outside normal hours so won't be contributing to the one way system or traffic problems.”

About 3,500 students are expected to join UCS in autumn 2007 with numbers rising to 7,500 by 2015.

Costing and estimated £150million over the next ten years UCS, land has already been set aside for the project and UCS, plus a new Suffolk College, will create an 'education quarter' stretching from Rope Walk to the Ipswich Waterfront.

A partnership lead by the universities of East Anglia and Essex, the UCS project is supported by Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Borough Council and the East of England Development Agency. There will also be substantial private sector investment in the scheme.

What do you think of UCS? How will a large student population change Ipswich? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or send us an e-mail to eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk

Weblinks www.ucs.ac.uk

September 2006-first students expected to apply to UCS for 2007 intake.

October/November 2006-Decision expected on planning permission for waterfront building.

January 2007-Construction of new building starts.

August 2007-Offical launch of UCS.

September 2007-First operation year of UCS begins using buildings shared with Suffolk College.

September 2008-Planned opening of first UCS building on Ipswich Waterfront.