STUDENTS will have access to a brand new TV studio, sound stage and animation labs if the next stage of Bournemouth University’s major redevelopment scheme gets the go ahead.

The new facilities will be housed in a four-storey Poole Gateway Building at the entrance to the Talbot campus.

The proposed 5,600 sq m building has already been given outline planning permission, as part of a hybrid application which was submitted to Borough of Poole last year.

But now the university has provided more detail about its plans - including layout, scale, appearance and proposed access.

The new building will provide specialist facilities for the Faculty of Science and Technology and the Faculty of Media and Communication such as TV studios, sound stage, live recording rooms as well as music, games and animation labs.

According to the design statement, “a key aesthetic of the building design is the veil/cladding which covers the majority of the building and is ‘lifted up’ on the east and west elevations to allow views through the building into the campus as well as forming a physical gateway”.

Work has already begun on the major £3million infrastructure project at the campus.

A new link road from Boundary Road Roundabout was agreed by Borough of Poole last September, as part of the hybrid application, to create a new entrance to the campus, as well as a bus hub and an extension to the car parks.

It will see a fourth arm of the roundabout built in a bid to improve access to the Gateway building on the western entrance of the campus.

It is estimated that the entire infrastructure project will be finished by January 2018. Work on the gateway building is expected to begin in January next year if the reserved matters are approved by the council.

Jim Andrews, chief operating officer at Bournemouth University, said, “We are pleased with the plans for the Poole Gateway building on our Talbot campus and how they are progressing. This will be a fantastic resource for staff, students and the community, and will enable BU to continue to lead on digital and creative industries.”

The Poole Gateway is one of six major building projects included in a development plan until 2020.

The Student Centre, International College and Fusion building are already open and permission is now in place for the Poole Gateway, a Bournemouth Gateway at St Paul’s roundabout and new student accommodation.