Plans for an ambitious new City Learning Quarter in Wolverhampton were today (Tuesday) given the green light by the council’s planning committee.

Approval has been granted for the purpose-built education facility, set over 10,000 square metres, that will provide a state-of-the-art learning environment for young people and adults in the city.

The City Learning Quarter will be situated around the Old Hall Street and St. George’s Parade area of the city centre, following the demolition of the former Faces nightclub building on the corner of Garrick Street and Bilston Street.

The inspirational facilities will also see investment in the building and public realm around them.  They will encompass City of Wolverhampton College’s Metro One Campus, the council’s Adult Education Service and Central Library, creating an enhanced learning environment for everyone as well as significantly paving the way for City of Wolverhampton College to move from its Paget Road site.

In addition to the new facilities providing educational benefits for the city, the City Learning Quarter will generate and safeguard 750 jobs for the region, as well as helping to fast track around 1,500 additional jobs within the city.

City of Wolverhampton College forecasts that over a 10-year period approximately 13,000 people will benefit from learning at the City Learning Quarter and around 2,500 apprenticeships will be completed.

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.

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 NOX particles not being discharged into the city.

City of Wolverhampton Council, Director for Regeneration, Richard Lawrence, said: “The City Learning Quarter will transform the learning environment for our students and residents. 

“We are working hard with City of Wolverhampton College to ensure we not only deliver a vibrant education hub where we improve the city’s learning, apprenticeship and employment offers, but also that we retain our best talent, rather than losing people to different parts of the region.

“The new facilities will provide a vital facelift to the city which is benefiting from £1 billion of investment overall.  I have every confidence that when our plans become a reality, we will be creating an environment where everyone can flourish.”

A grant bid of up to £30 million has been submitted to the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to fund the scheme.