Former hospital site could be given new lease of life as college campus

Having been the subject of a long-running courtroom battle between two supermarket giants, the former hospital site looked set to house a new £60m Tesco store.

But the cash-strapped firm pulled the plug on the deal in January, taking away the promise of 600 jobs and the chance to breathe new life into the rundown All Saints area.

Now, a glimmer of hope has emerged with the news that the site could finally be brought back into use as a multi-million pound campus for the City of Wolverhampton College.

It is a pairing that could be viewed as the perfect match. A new campus rising from the ground at the derelict site, mirroring the college's surge from a position of abject failure to becoming a jewel in the city's crown.

Three years ago it was branded as inadequate by Ofsted, with the quality of teaching criticised and success rates condemned as being well below national standards.

It is now classed as good with a number of outstanding features and is rated as one of the top colleges in the country in terms of success rates for 16 to 18 year olds.

Last year a glowing report from the Further Education Commission said the college had repositioned itself as 'part of the fabric of the city'.

It is a major turnaround, masterminded in a relatively short space of time by principal Mark Robertson, who took over in 2013.

He said the rise in fortunes was down to 'high quality staff' having a shared belief that the situation could be improved. Student achievement has risen across the board, and the college's links with industry have led to some of its vocational courses being over-subscribed.

According to Mr Robertson, improving resources at the college's sites across the city had been pivotal in improving standards, citing a half-a-million pound investment in IT equipment as an example.

He said: "I'm thrilled at how much we have improved. It has had a great impact on the life chances of our students and as a result on the city as a whole."

He is now working towards ensuring the college gains the top level 'outstanding' rating next time Ofsted inspectors turn up at the door.

The college is seeking a new home near the city centre having outgrown its current campus in Paget Road. It plans to fund the proposed move using cash from the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership's Growth Fund, which aims to kick-start major developments across the region.

And while the principal has stressed that discussions over a new location are still very much ongoing, many will see the Royal site as a good fit for the college. Sources close to the plan, said bosses were in talks about taking over the site.

Councillor John Rowley, who represents Blakenhall on Wolverhampton City Council, said the move would be a positive one for the whole city.

"I'd be very supportive of this move should it get off the ground," said Councillor Rowley, a former governor at the college.

"They opened the very successful Metro One campus in the city centre and demand for courses there has expanded enormously.

"The Royal Hospital site is very close to the city centre and there is huge potential there. I think if the college were to make its home there it would be very positive for Wolverhampton."

It is believed the site is one of four that are coming under consideration by college bosses.

Earlier this month it emerged that Tesco had put the 10-acre site up for sale in a bid to claw funds back into its dwindling accounts.

In the meantime, the firm has continued to work on the site and other nearby buildings to make it more attractive to prospective developers and new owners.

Plans are in place to demolish the former New Cleveland Club on the corner of Cleveland Road and Hospital Street, along with its adjoining cafe and ex-pub the Newmarket Hotel.

College bosses have set a target to open its new campus in 2018. As yet the Paget Road campus is still not on the market.

It is one of a number of educational establishments in Wolverhampton that are planning big moves. Across the city the University of Wolverhampton has unveiled plans to build a new £60m super campus at the former Springfield Brewery site.

It will become the home of the new West Midlands Construction University Technical College as part of the university's Springfield campus.

Meanwhile two schools - The British Sikh School and the Wolverhampton Vocational Training Centre - are set to share the site of the former Tarmac premises in Millfields Road from September 2016.