Computer generated image of the new City Learning Quarter.
Phase two of the City Learning Quarter will create a significant city centre learning hub consisting of a prime location for the College, the Council’s Adult Education service and Central Library. This will enable the city to improve its learning, skills, apprenticeship and employment levels with enhanced accessibility for students, employers and residents. It is a priority investment for the Council.
The City Learning Quarter will be situated around the Old Hall Street and St. George’s Parade area of the city centre, incorporating a site on the corner of Garrick Street and Bilston Street, where the former Faces nightclub building once stood.
Its central location and close proximity to the new £150 million transport interchange will make it easily accessible. It will also boast environmental benefits in line with council’s climate emergency agenda.
The £61.1m Phase 2 project is being funded through a combination of Government grants (including Levelling Up Fund Round 1, Towns Fund, Department for Education) and Council contributions.
As part of the City Learning Quarter Phase 1, a new £8.1million (2,515 square metres) Advanced Technology and Automotive Centre (ATAC) is being built at City of Wolverhampton College’s Wellington Road, Bilston, campus, focusing on new electric, hybrid and traditional vehicles. The courses the purpose-built Bilston technical centre will host are not suitable for the city centre location. ATAC is due to be completed in July 2024. The £8.1m Phase 1 project is being funded through a £7.75m grant from West Midlands Combined Authority and the remainder from Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership.
In September 2023, City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet approved a revised budget and funding strategy to ensure the new City Learning Quarter main site is completed for the start of the 2025/26 academic year.
Aims of the project
The state of the art education facility will be set over 10,000 square metres and will also see investment in the building and public realm around the area, creating an enhanced learning environment for everyone. This will significantly pave the way for City of Wolverhampton College to move from its out-dated Paget Road site, which has been identified as land to build much needed housing.
In addition to the new facilities providing educational benefits for the city, the City Learning Quarter will generate and safeguard 750 jobs in the local economy.
City of Wolverhampton 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.
It is calculated that through energy efficient buildings and traffic reduction, more than 600 tonnes of CO2 emissions will be prevented from being released into the atmosphere each year.
It is also estimated that our air will be cleaner due to 310kg of Nitrous Oxide (NOx) particles not being discharged into the city.
Further details can be explored in the Levelling Up Fund Application Form for Phase 2 .
Key milestones
- Design & Stakeholder Development – Q1 2022 – Q2 2024
- AE & Library work start & completion – Q2 2024 – Q3 2025
- Main College work start & completion – Q4 2023 – Q3 2025