Since snapping up the former Debenhams building in Gloucester in 2021, the university has been working with developers Morgan Sindall Construction to transform the 20,000 square metre site into a 'state-of-the-art centre for teaching, learning and community services'.
The new City Campus is now home to education, psychology and social work specialisms, representing 'a major investment in the facilities for these key courses'.
Alongside hosting students, the building will also offer shared public access facilities, including a new arts, health and wellbeing centre delivered in partnership with the NHS Integrated Care Board, as well as a new public library in partnership with Gloucestershire County Council.
The new opening is part of wider plans to regenerate Gloucester city centre. It sits alongside the £200 million regeneration of Kings Square, which includes the £107 million Forum development.
It is thought that the new City Campus has generated a social value of £22.95 million for the local community, since the development began, by creating jobs, establishing new connections with businesses and respecting the environment during the build process.
Vice-chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire, Dame Clare Marchant, said: 'City Campus is a game-changer for Gloucester and the wider Gloucestershire community.
'As well as providing our students with a fantastic, future-proofed learning experience, City Campus will bring substantial long-term social, educational and economic benefits to the region.
'By providing us with a presence in the centre of Gloucester, City Campus really is the embodiment of our vision of being the connected university.
'We are right at the heart of the community we serve and over the coming weeks and months we look forward to forging ever-closer ties with our new neighbours – be they businesses, educators, voluntary sector organisations or community groups.'
Preserving the heritage of the building has been a central focus throughout the build process, with the site's Victorian wing with sections dating back to the 1930s and 1950s making for a complex construction operation.
Richard Fielding, area director for Morgan Sindall Construction in the Midlands, said: 'This iconic structure tells the story of Gloucester's evolution across more than a century and so preserving its heritage and character has been absolutely imperative throughout the project.'
Leader of Gloucester City Council, Jeremy Hilton, said: 'Gloucester city centre is transforming into a vibrant, sustainable and economically thriving hub before our eyes and it is wonderful to have University of Gloucestershire’s City Campus at the heart of it.'
The University of Gloucestershire's City Campus is open to the public from Monday 18 August 2025.
