London Met to invest £125m in new Holloway campus
London Metropolitan University
London Metropolitan University is to invest 125m to create a new, single campus in north London bringing all of its faculties together on one site for the first time in its 170-year history.
The University will bring all of its teaching and academic departments together to create a showpiece campus in Islington. Currently, visual arts, architecture, business and law courses are taught in buildings at Aldgate and Moorgate.
The key driver for the move is student feedback. In joint research with the Students’ Union earlier this year, 65% of London Met students said they would prefer a one-campus university, citing an enhanced student community and more opportunities for collaboration as key benefits.
Professor John Raftery, Vice Chancellor of London Met, said: “We are excited about this project, which aims to create a one campus, one community University in Holloway. We believe this will benefit our students, who will enjoy an enhanced student experience, and our staff, who will have more opportunities to collaborate.
“The people and businesses of Islington will also see benefits to the local economy.”
The move to one campus will be staged over several years, and will be accompanied by a curriculum review and significant investment in facilities at Holloway. The £125m will be spent on the estate and new IT projects.
Visual arts, architecture, business and law students will start to be moved to the new Islington campus from September 2017.
Obie Opara, President of the London Met Students’ Union, said: “From the research we carried out last year, we know many students would prefer to study on one campus, so we welcome this decision and the long-term benefits it will bring. We also know that this may cause concerns for some students, particularly those at the Aldgate and Moorgate sites. We will continue to work with students across all sites to ensure their voice is central to the development of this plan, ensuring a smooth transition and creating a more sustainable London Met.
“We are excited by the prospect of a one campus, one community university, where all students can interact and learn from one another and have access to the same facilities and the best student experience.”
