New England's second university campus is one step closer after the University of New England called for designs of the new state-of-the-art project.
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UNE is hoping to have the Tamworth Central campus in the city's CBD completed by 2025, a year on from its original finish date.
It will be built on the old velodrome site off Peel Street, between Roderick and Murray street.
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On Tuesday, the university called for expressions of interest from leading design firms with a decision on the successful candidate to be finalised before the end of the year.
"The project is gaining momentum and I'm looking forward to seeing how the designs will embody our vision of UNE Tamworth Central," UNE Acting Vice-Chancellor and CEO Professor Simon Evans said.
The Tamworth Central campus was made possible by $26.6 million from the NSW government under the Restart NSW program, as well as contributions from Tamworth Regional Council, the federal government and UNE.
"Not only will this project benefit future generations of local students, it will also add more than $600 million in economic benefit to the city over the next decade and will provide local businesses with a pipeline of skilled workers," Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said.
UNE said the educational centre would be specifically designed to meet the needs of Tamworth.
"For too long, we have seen a vacuum of kids leaving our great city, simply because they couldn't access tertiary education at home," Mr Anderson said.
"We are the largest city in regional Australia without a university campus which is why I am proud to be a part of a government that has committed to providing the infrastructure UNE needs to expand their presence in Tamworth.
Federal Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said the project would "revolutionalise" the city.
"There are kids in school now who will be able to complete their entire education from pre-school to tertiary right here in Tamworth, before the realisation of the Tamworth campus this wouldn't have been possible," he said.
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