South Thames College to sell Putney Hill site

the resulting revenue to fund a new Wandsworth campus

South Thames College has today submitted a planning application to the council for a new campus on its high street site, which aims to complement the redevelopment of Wandsworth town centre. The funding of the new campus will come from the planned sale of the Putney Hill site.

Consultation on the plans will begin shortly including leaflets for local residents and an exhibition of the plans will at the andsworth site on 7th January and at Putney on 8th January 2004.

South Thames College principal Sue Rimmer said:

"We are asking the council to consider a residential development of the Putney Hill site alongside the plans for the redevelopment of our Wandsworth site. The cost of building a state-of-the-art facility in Wandsworth is totally dependent on the revenue from the sale of our 40 year old Putney facility, which is near the end of its useful life.

"The Learning and Skills Council, which provides the College with its core funding, will only fund part of the cost of the new development, so the sale of Putney is a crucial part of the solution".

The college says that Putney residents will continue to use the Putney Hill site for the next three years, by which time alternative arrangements will have been agreed. As 86% of daytime students, who currently use the Putney Hill site, travel in from outside the Putney area, their courses will be relocated to the Wandsworth site.

20th November 2003