University to consult over future of St Luke’s

The consultants appointed by the University of Exeter to assess future options for the St Luke’s campus have now issued their final report.

Property consultants King Sturge were asked by the University to consider the future of the campus in the light of concerns that it would run out of space if the three academic departments on the site continued to expand. The full report (minus some commercially sensitive information about property values) is now being made available to interested parties for comment. They have until mid-day on Friday 15 June to give their views to the University.

The University’s senior management have already considered the report. They believe the most viable option is to retain the campus, but to move one of the three academic departments there (Sport and Health Sciences) to the main Streatham Campus in 2010. This would free up space for future expansion by the two remaining departments, the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry and the School of Education and Lifelong Learning. The University would invest in providing St Luke’s with higher quality facilities as part of its £235 million campuses investment plan.

The other two options are:

All three Schools, i.e. Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD), Education and Lifelong Learning (SELL) and Sport and Health Sciences (SHS) remain at St Luke’s.
All three Schools move from St Luke’s to the Streatham Campus with the St Luke’s Campus being sold in order to provide the capital necessary to cover some of the costs of moving.

A final decision will be made by the University’s governing body in July.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University Professor Steve Smith said: ‘Subject to the views expressed in the consultation, the most cost effective and least disruptive option appears to be moving SHS but leaving SELL and PCMD at St Luke’s. This option avoids all the cost and disruption of moving three Schools and also the very formidable planning issues around such a prospect. Equally, if all three Schools were to remain at St Luke’s the report indicates that we would not be able to satisfy their aspirations for growth. Moving SHS releases space for PCMD and SELL growth as well as providing fit-for-purpose accommodation for SHS on the Streatham Campus nearer to our main sporting facilities.’

Numerous representations have already been received from students and former students about the special ethos of St Luke’s, particularly in the context of teacher education. Senior management’s preferred option would have the effect of retaining teacher education, including physical education, at St Luke’s and the Campus would be vocational in nature, with particular reference to the medical and teaching professions alongside scientific and educational research and postgraduate study.

Download the full report [PDF format]
Copies of appendices to the report are available on request except where they contain commercially sensitive information relating to property values.

If you would like to comment on the St Luke's options please email Victoria Gregory at: v.j.gregory@exeter.ac.uk by noon on Friday 15 June.