Gloucester comes to rescue campus

THE three-year battle to save Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education's redundant Gloucester campus is nearly won after a cash injection from Gloucester City Council.

The council hopes the campus will form the foundation of a new University of Gloucestershire. It accused the college of deserting the needs of a growing and underprivileged community in 1993 when it closed its Oxstalls campus and concentrated in Cheltenham.

Attempts to sell the site to Tesco in March 1993 were blocked and relations have been tense with educationists joining the attack on the college for ignoring local needs.

The council has agreed in principle to buy the campus from Cheltenham and Gloucester College and lease back the building. Details have yet to be finalised and the council is keen "to secure funding arrangements to support the venture".

Project director Philip Oakley said: "When they closed the Oxstalls site the good city of Gloucester was not pleased. The building has been out of use for three years and getting it back into action has been very difficult. This is very good news."

The site will accommodate 450 full-time equivalent students.

Cheltenham and Gloucester College is bidding for research degree awarding powers. College principal Janet Trotter said: "We look forward to the creation of the University of Gloucestershire with a strong presence in both Gloucester and Cheltenham."