Work starts on major Wolverhampton campus

Full construction work is now underway on the £61M Wolverhampton City Learning Quarter, which will provide a major boost to the local economy.

The project, supported by Government funding, will establish new educational facilities for City of Wolverhampton College, Adult Education Wolverhampton and the Central Library, benefitting skills and employment outcomes for residents across the city and wider region.

Main contractor McLaughlin & Harvey says it has completed enabling works, such as utility diversions, welfare construction and hoarding installation. It is now carrying out strip-out, demolition and ground preparation works, with piling works due to commence to establish the foundations for the new building.

Council Leader, Councillor Stephen Simkins, said: “It is a very proud moment to see our City Learning Quarter vision becoming a reality. It will have a visible and tangible impact on the City of Wolverhampton and its residents, making a massive difference to everyday life through direct investment in skills and education – it has the potential to unlock future opportunities for all in the city.”

The City Learning Quarter facility is situated around the Old Hall Street and St George’s Parade area, incorporating a site on the corner of Garrick Street and Bilston Street, where the former Faces nightclub building once stood, and utilising the college’s existing Metro One site.

The college forecasts that over a 10-year period approximately 45,000 people will benefit from learning at the City Learning Quarter and around 7,500 apprenticeships will be started.

Its central location and close proximity to the city’s new £150M transport interchange will make it easily accessible. It will also boast environmental benefits in line with council’s climate emergency agenda.