Greenwich gets RNC

What does tertiary education do for London? Not a lot, says one report. In another of our series of regional focuses, THES reporters look for a sense of community within the M25 area.

GREENWICH University, which has grown from a 6,000-student polytechnic to the present roll of 18,500 in just over a decade, has acquired one of the most prestigious sites in London to solve its accommodation problems.

The acquisition of the former Royal Naval College means that the university can reduce its 17 sites to six, which will be split evenly between London and Kent. It also raises the prospect of the development of a Maritime Research Centre which would pull together a number of disciplines including social sciences, transport policy and maritime law.

The university recently moved students into a 2,000-room complex at the Avery Hill site which is the first major Private Finance Initiative project in the UK.