£35m rural university plans take shape at Barony campus

A £35m investment at a campus near Dumfries is part of plans to create a Scottish rural university by 2022.

The creation of the "state of the art facility" at the Barony site is among wider changes planned by SRUC, Scotland's rural college.

It said business-case approval for the plans had been received from the Scottish Funding Council.

A "phased withdrawal" from the Riverside campus in Ayr and Crichton in Dumfries is also planned.

SRUC said it currently had a small presence at those sites and was in "full consultation" with unions and other stakeholders.

'Full of opportunity'

Principal Prof Wayne Powell said: "This investment is the first major step in our transformational growth to Scotland's new rural university.

"It is exciting and full of opportunity for teaching, applied research, the rural economy and Scotland as a whole.

"The decisions that we have made, and will implement over the next few years, are all the result of significant research and analysis.

"They will best serve our commitment to educational excellence, which in turn will develop the skills required for a vibrant rural economy in 21st Century Scotland."

The changes are based around a faculty based model with three across the country - one for northern Scotland, one for central and one for the south and west.