University of Northampton £5.5m leather institute faces closure

The Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT) at the University of Northampton is home to Europe's only working tannery

A university is considering closing its £5.5m leather education facility four years after it opened due to a "fall in student demand" for the subject.

The Institute for Creative Leather Technologies (ICLT) at the University of Northampton is the only tannery at a university in Europe.

An "internal consultation" is under way to determine its future.

Trade body Leather UK said it was "dismayed" by the proposed closure and urged the university to rethink.

Besides falling demand from students, the university also cited economic downturn and rising energy prices as reasoning to discuss the future of the facility.

Its Vice-Chancellor Anne-Marie Kilday said: "The decision to enter into this period of consultation has not been taken lightly, as the academic study of leather at the University of Northampton has been a valued part of our offer since 1995.

"The number of UK leather producers has been in decline, and the largest producers are now China, Brazil, Russia, India and Italy.

"This has severely impacted the number of domestic students, and has not delivered commensurate international students.

"In recent years, recruitment has also been heavily impacted by Brexit and the loss of a regular flow of students from Italy."

The university said its fashion and footwear courses will "remain and adapt" to any changes in leather provision

The ICLT at the university's Waterside Campus provides research exploring new and traditional leather processing techniques.

Undergraduate, postgraduate and short or professional courses are available.

Prof Kilday said: "Our research in the discipline is world-leading, but research income is not offsetting the overheads of facilities and operational requirements or the costs of teaching dwindling student numbers."

She said the university hopes to find a "practical solution to retain the subject" as part of a new strategy to be published this month.

The university said its fashion and footwear courses will "remain and adapt" to any changes in leather provision.

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Kerry Senior, Director of Leather UK, said there was "no substitute" for the "world leading" facility and he was "dismayed" the university was considering closing it.

It remained "a highly relevant and well-respected facility for the global leather industry", he said.

He urged the university to look for solutions, saying it "would be a huge loss to the global leather industry if the ICLT were to be closed".

Mike Redwood, a consultant to the leather industry and former visiting professor at the University of Northampton, said he was dismayed by the proposed closure.

"I do not buy the concept of saying science and technical courses are too expensive to run. What are colleges and Universities for?" he said.

"Fashion and design students need to learn about leather, natural materials and biomaterials. The best biomaterials are now working with our top tanneries around the world.

"Fashion students I talk with want to learn about leather and the material context. Only Northampton can do that properly in the United Kingdom and Europe.

"It [the ICLT] is a gem not a liability."

Northamptonshire has a long history for boot and shoemaking, dating back to the middle of the 19th Century when the industry began to grow rapidly.

Leather-related courses have been taught at the University of Northampton since 1978, and there is evidence of tanneries - which produce leather from animal hides - in the town dating back 900 years.