University considers 5,000-strong student village

A new student village housing up to 5,000 students could be built in Wolverhampton to handle major growth in the city’s university, according to its new vice-chancellor.Professor Ebrahim Adia said a development to house mainly overseas students could be achieved “quite quickly” and bring a major boost to the city’s economy.Adia told Insider the university plans to increase its student numbers from 18,000 to 24,000 over the next five years, mainly at its Wolverhampton and Walsall campuses. This would mean a change in the make-up of its student population, 77 per cent of whom come from within 20 miles of Wolverhampton.”This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get it right,” he said.Adia believes a student village would help boost the city’s economy and build Wolverhampton’s reputation as a university centre, something it currently lacks as so many of its buildings are spread across a wide area.”We will need to do it quickly,” Adia added, speaking after the City Centre Living Showcase, organised by Wolverhampton City Council, at the Molineux Stadium yesterday. “We’re already speaking to private sector providers about the idea, developing a masterplan, and talking with the city council so what we do fits in with its ambitions.”Having so many students come in raises issues about where they can stay, and rather than having them in halls of residence spread across the city, it would be better to bring them together them in a student village, where they could have easy access to things like shops and laundrettes.”Adia also said that the university was looking at how it could create a greater sense of cohesion at its Wolverhampton campus, which was split by the city’s dual carriageway ring road.An extensive report on development in Wolverhampton will be in next month’s Midlands Business Insider. To secure a copy contact John Hannon on