The University of Otago working party overseeing a $50 million to $100 million project to replace Dunedin's dental school has settled on an option for a new facility.
Chief operating officer John Patrick gave an update on the project at a capital development committee meeting held on Thursday. He said after considering options, the working party overseeing the initial stage of the project had ''made a recommendation'' over what form the new dental school should take.
Mr Patrick said he would be meeting people from both property services and the dental school on April 8 to discuss the scope, size and ''where to from here'' for the project.
The working party was moving ahead with the design of the facility without any limitations on its scope.
Meanwhile, a report by Otago University property services director Barry MacKay tabled at the meeting said ''an options report for this project has been developed by the consultant team and is being reviewed''.
Mr MacKay told the Otago Daily Times by email that the ''project working party, supported by a consultant team, have commenced work on the initial design''.
Meanwhile, an Otago University spokeswoman said the dental school project was approved by the university's council ''in principle'' last April. Being approved in principle allowed the preliminary design and planning stages to go ahead, she said.
Mr MacKay said last year that after an initial design was settled on, ''a fully scoped and costed final proposal'' would have to be approved by the university's capital development committee and council for full project funding.
If given final approval the project would be the university's most expensive capital project.
Faculty of Dentistry dean Prof Greg Seymour said last year that the dental school did not meet the ''requirements of dentistry of the 21st century''.
