Contractor revealed for phase of £61m Wolverhampton education scheme
Wolverhampton City Council has chosen a contractor to carry out renovation work on the Central Library and Adult Education Wolverhampton buildings, as part of the £61m City Learning Quarter Phase Two project.
Speller Metcalfe has been given the initial contract and will develop plans and carry out some preparatory work before the main construction begins in the autumn.
Plans for the central library include restoring the Grade II*-listed building on Snow Hill, installing a new roof, redesigning the interior, adding a new rear entrance lobby, and landscaping.
The Alan Garner Centre at Adult Education Wolverhampton, located on Old Hall Street, will undergo interior renovations and the construction of a two-story building to connect it to the central library’s 1930s extension.
The wider City Learning Quarter will pave the way for City of Wolverhampton College to move from its outdated Paget Road site, which has been identified as land to build much-needed housing.
The college forecasts that over a 10-year period, around 45,000 people will benefit from learning at the City Learning Quarter and around 7,500 apprenticeships will be started.
Cllr Chris Burden, said: “The restoration and improvement works to our historic Central Library and Adult Education building are an important part of our City Learning Quarter vision to co-locate new state-of-the-art facilities in the city centre and improve life chances for people of all ages. We want to deliver a vibrant education hub where we improve the city’s learning, apprenticeship and employment offers, and retain our best talent, rather than losing people to different parts of the region.”
A new education facility for the City of Wolverhampton College, next to the two projects, is currently under construction by McLaughlin & Harvey.
The education facility is being built on the site of the college’s former Metro One campus and the area where the Faces nightclub building once stood, at the corner of Garrick Street and Bilston Street.
Both the Central Library and Adult Education Wolverhampton will remain open during the renovations, which are expected to be finished by autumn 2025.
The City Learning Quarter Phase Two project was initially supported by investment from the council with further funding coming through a combination of £5m from the Towns Fund, £22m from the Levelling Up Fund and £22m from the Department for Education.
