Cov uni to create new campus in London for 3,000 students

COVENTRY University has revealed ambitious expansion plans to create a new campus in London, catering for up to 3,000 students.

Last month we reported that the University was one of the fastestgrowing in the country - helping fuel the surge in demand for more accommodation around Coventry city centre.

The university opened a state-ofthe-art £14m campus in Scarborough in September last year and now it is expanding into London, using a former town hall in Dagenham.

The expansion is based on what the university describes as a “highquality and low-cost career focused model” of higher education.

They say CU London will offer lower fees, lower entry requirements and more flexible learning options.

John Dishman, chief executive officer and director of CU Coventry, added: “This is a key project for the Coventry University Group and we are working closely with Barking and Dagenham Council to create a facility that not only protects the future of this fantastic building but supports their growth aspirations. “It will also enable local people to access a more affordable and flexible further education.” Renowned architects Broadway Malyan has been commissioned to breathe new life into the Art Deco grade II listed Civic Centre in Dagenham. Work on the project is set to begin this month after it was approved by planners.

The university saw student numbers shoot up by eight per cent in 2016, as 8,130 people accepted places on full-time undergraduate degree courses across the university, which also has campuses in London and Scarborough. Its continued success made it the second-fastest growing university and third largest in the UK for annual full time acceptances.

Student numbers have increased by 50 per cent since 2011, according to UCAS figures, as the campus casts its net far and wide to attract students.

Coventry is currently seeing a boom in the construction of student accommodation across the city centre. A number of large-scale projects are underway and plans have been approved for more.

It has been argued that more student flats are needed to get students out of homes in the city that could be used for families.