AQW 21702/22-27

Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 31/01/2025
Answered On Date: 10/02/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail any consideration his Department gave when planning the development of the new Northern Regional College facilities at (i) Causeway campus, Coleraine; and (ii) Farm Lodge campus, Ballymena, in relation to environmental sustainability.

Answer:

These projects were planned and developed by Northern Regional College and approved by the Department in 2016 under a combined business case. In terms of the environmental sustainability aspects, the approved business case provided that the college would be replacing inefficient buildings with modern, energy efficient facilities, and the design for both was to Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM) “Excellent” standard. BREEAM “Excellent” is awarded to facilities that demonstrate best practice for environmental performance through design, specification, construction and operation and both campuses remain on target to achieve certification.