Founded in 1902 as a private art school offering classes in freehand drawing and painting from still life, The Falmouth School of Art as it was then known has seen many changes in the last century as it has steadily developed to become University College Falmouth as we know it today.
From its original location on Wood Lane in the centre of Falmouth where in 1950 just 120 students were taught, University College Falmouth (UCF) migrated in 2003 to its 70 acre Tremough Campus site, situated in neighbouring Penryn just 2 miles from its former home.
Tremough is now home to three separate university institutions integrated under the Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative – the University of Exeter, Cornwall campus, which also incorporates the Camborne School of Mines, University College Falmouth and its most recent addition Dartington College of Arts.
The expansion of both Tremough’s residential and teaching facilities since its opening in 2003, has been both rapid and ambitious by any standard. The number of students living in halls of residence on the campus, originally 800, is now around 2,200, and expected to rise to between 4,400 and 5,000 by 2016. Combine this with a recent £20 million investment into a new development including multi-purpose studios and performance venues and it is plain to see that UCF is evolving into a University capable of rivalling its ‘up-country’ competitors in both size and facilities.
So what effect has the increased expansion of UCF had on the both relatively small towns of Falmouth and Penryn? The initial teething problems that have come from integrating thousands of students into the community have been well-documented. As with any small town that experiences a large influx of new residents, these problems have been mainly logistical. For example parking and lack of accommodation for students leaving halls in their second year both became issues that have slowly been ironed out in the 5 years since the universities expansion.
Thankfully it is the positive effects on the local area that the continued expansion and development of UCF that far out way the negatives. The Tremough university campus at Penryn is now providing a major boost to Cornwall’s economy bringing in millions of pounds and hundreds of jobs. With the continuing growth more are to follow which will lead to another £2 million being spent in the local area annually.
“The benefits that higher education bring to the regional economy through job creation and the sourcing of local goods and services cannot be underestimated, particularly at this time of economic downturn,” Professor Alan Livingston the Rector of University College Falmouth, told the Falmouth Packet.
A recent report carried out by independent research group DTZ is a further boost at a time of recession and shows that the planned development of the campus will double the benefits it currently brings to the local community and the rest of Cornwall by 2016. There will be up to 428 new jobs in Cornwall, of which 365 will be in the local area which will bring the total number of jobs created as a result of the campus to over 1,500. As the amount of students rises, staff and students’ spend is expected to rise to over £20 million a year in the local area and over £33 million in Cornwall as a whole.
It is not only the amount of money being spent by students in local businesses, which has provided a noticeable boost to existing traders and also allowed new businesses to start-up in areas that would have not been viable in the past, but also the wider economic effects that are invaluable to both Falmouth and Cornwall as a whole. The regeneration of Cornwall can only be positively affected by business communities links with UCF and also the integration of skilled labour into the local workforce.
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