Wolverhampton landmark to disappear and Telford campus to close as university enters new era

The university's brutalist School of Art, on the corner of the ring road and Stafford Road, will be flattened under plans for a major redevelopment of the city centre campus.

The shake-up will also see the creation of a new medical school in the city, using space that is currently taken up by a sports hall.

There are also longer-term proposals to sink the Wolverhampton ring road, which at the moment splits the campus in two, into a tunnel beneath a garden area linking the Molineux Hotel with Deanery Place, St Peter's Square and Wulfruna Street.

But Wolverhampton's gain will be Telford's loss. The changes will see the closure of the university's extensive Telford campus. Engineering courses currently based there will move to Wolverhampton and nursing will transfer to other areas including to an extended presence at its Walsall campus.

Vice-chancellor Prof Ebrahim Adia said the plans marked an exciting new chapter in the university's near 200-year history. He said the university planned to attract 5,000 extra students from overseas, providing a boost to the city's economy.

He also emphasised that these were not cuts. While he understands the need to make efficiencies, he insists the university is currently in a healthy financial position. He said the university planned to attract 5,000 extra students from overseas, providing a boost to the city's economy, and that he was actively looking to expand current halls of residence around Molineux as well as seeking other opportunities in the city.

The plans have been welcomed by Councillor Stephen Simkins, leader of Wolverhampton Council.

But Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, said the closure of the Telford campus was a huge blow to the town - and questions will now be asked about the future of the site once it is vacated by the university in September 2026.