The £5 million student hub at Medway has taken a big step forward with the appointment of a leading construction company to complete the project.

The centre will provide entertainment and social space for all students at the shared Chatham Maritime campus.

The universities of Greenwich and Kent are working in partnership to transform a listed building, once the site of a swimming pool and skittles alley, and place it at the heart of the Medway student experience.

The scheme was put on hold in the summer after Canterbury-based building firm Cardy collapsed and filed for administration.

The new contractor, Kier Group, employs more than 20,000 people, and has many years of experience working in the higher education sector.

It has confirmed its intention to complete the work before Christmas so that the building can open for business at the start of the new year.

A full range of services remains on offer to all students this term, with GK Unions – the partnership between the Students’ Union University of Greenwich (SUUG) and Kent Union – offering a programme of events in Coopers bar and elsewhere at the Medway campus.

The converted former Navy sports halls will feature a café/bar, catering facilities, and large, open-plan spaces for meetings and a mixture of social activities.

There will be quiet spaces for reading or working on laptops or tablets, plus a series of individual booths, a pool table and a mass of colourful bean bags and coffee tables.

Special lighting is being added to make the hub welcoming by day and atmospheric by night.

Students have helped shape the way the building looks, even choosing the name of the new bar. The Deep End refers to the building’s former use as a swimming pool.

Dozens of students will also find part-time jobs in the offices, café/bar and kitchen.

The hub will also house the offices of GK Unions, which has more than 6,000 members.