This field contains data about the Net Internal Area (NIA) support space (not offices). The value can be recorded to three decimal places.

All higher education providers (HEPs).

The NIA of space which is not offices and which is not included elsewhere and is used to support the operations of the HEP as a whole.

Includes:

• non-office central support/administration space,
• social space (not Student Unions as these are counted in Non-residential NIA other),
• sports facilities (where not used predominantly for teaching),
• catering space,
• support space.

Learning space should be included in this category and is defined as centrally-available and controlled NIA used as learning resource centres, libraries or open access computer space available for general student use. Similar space used for departments should be allocated to teaching or research as appropriate.

As with teaching and research space, the office element of 'central support' space should be identified separately (Support offices NIA), with the residual other space coded under (Support not offices NIA).

Commercial space that can be separately identified as a discrete area together with all associated costs, staff, energy, waste, emissions etc. is considered non-returnable and should be excluded from the Estates management record.

Only in circumstances where commercial space cannot be identified in accordance with the aforementioned conditions is it considered returnable and should therefore be included in the Estates management record (together with all associated costs, staff, energy, waste, emissions etc.).

Sector use and benchmarking.