Merger news1 May 1998The merger locationThe £170 million merger and relocation project has been made possible through the availability of some £40 million of government funding (from Health Service and HEFCE sources) as a result of policies arising from the Tomlinson Review, combined with King's advantageous disposal of its west London properties, with UMDS's financial input, and with support from the special trustees of both Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals. The merger will enable King's to locate its three main academic campuses within a single square mile in the heart of London: at the Strand campus, Waterloo campus and the Guy's campus at London Bridge, with continuing medical, dental and psychiatric teaching and research in the clinically-rich area of Denmark Hill in south London and at St Thomas' Hospital. King's former sites in Kensington and Chelsea will be exchanged for state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities in new and refurbished buildings at the Guy's and Waterloo campuses, available from August 1999. The up-grading of facilities at the Strand is a high priority for the College. This is King's historic founding site, next to Somerset House and on the King's reach of the Thames, mid-way between Westminster an the City, and the College wishes the quality of the accommodation there to match the quality of work carried out in this location and to be aesthetically in keeping with neighbouring buildings of architectural importance. Plans are being made to raise donations, and public and private sector funds to build a new home for the top-rated School of Law and to improve the storage of and public access to the College's archives, including the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. The transfer of the Anatomy & Human Biology, Physiology, and Molecular Biology & Biophysics Groups from the Strand to the Guy's campus will free up some ten per cent of space at the Strand and this will provide further opportunities for upgrading facilities for Law, Humanities and Physical Sciences & Engineering, and for improving computing and library provision and social facilities for staff and students. It is hoped that the potential of the Strand campus for public activities such as music, public lectures, meetings and commercial lettings can be further developed.
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