Gloucestershire University's £5m plan to 'protect jobs'

An art and design centre will be built at the Hardwick campus

The University of Gloucestershire has said plans for a £5m refurbishment of its campuses should lead to the protection of jobs.

The institution, which has seen 80 staff leave in the last year, is reducing its sites from four to three.

Cheltenham's Pittville campus will shut in 2011 while an art and design centre will be built at the Hardwick site.

Vice chancellor Paul Hartley said the university was investing in its future and was not selling off assets.

'Invest in future'

He said: "We're selling off one campus - our assets are our staff and students.

"What we're trying to do is invest in the university's future and that should create a much safer environment for our staff and students."

Mr Harley said operating costs of the campuses were high and this investment would reduce them.

Other refurbishment work includes moving the Countryside and Community Research Institute to the Oxstalls campus in Gloucester.

New facilities would be created at the town's Park and Francis Close Hall sites.

Mr Hartley said the plans would not be affected by the government's spending review in which universities were told of a 25% cut in funding.

Last year, the university pulled out of a move to the the Blackfriars development in Gloucester. It sold its London site for £9.7m in April.

The work starts this month.