Shropshire University bid 'could boost county's economy'
Setting up a university in Shrewsbury could have major economic benefits for the town and the rest of Shropshire, project leaders said today.
Officials from the University of Chester, who are supporting the project, said establishing a higher education establishment in the town could bring "very significant investment" to the area.
The University of Chester commissioned an independent assessment of its own activities in 2012 and found they were worth £298 million to the local area every year.
Professor Tim Wheeler, vice chancellor of the university, spoke of his hopes for a similar impact on Shrewsbury as he revealed more details about the plans for a new higher education establishment in the town on Thursday.
Speaking at the official opening of the Shrewsbury Sixth Form College's English Bridge campus, he said the start of new undergraduate courses is potentially little more than a year away. He said: "In September 2015, we hope to offer a range of undergraduate programmes in a number of buildings. We hope that will be part of establishing an educational quarter.
"It is a very ambitious project.
"All the evidence suggests it will be very, very significant investment."
He said project bosses are pursuing funding for the new institution and hope to be able to make an announcement in the summer.
"In putting a university here, it will transform and enhance the wealth and prosperity of Shrewsbury and the whole of Shropshire," he added.
"There are some 20-plus undergraduate degrees that the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service is loading on to their database to enable the students to express an interest."
He said it would take around a decade before Shrewsbury had its own independent university, with the first stage being establishing the University of Chester Shrewsbury Institute.
