Leam learning space to be open before Christmas

The new Leamington learning space will open in the Autumn term this year, the Boar has learnt.

The space will be known as the Leamington Grid and will be located in Leamington’s Town Hall.

No firm date has been set for opening but the University has said it is expected to be open in the Autumn term.

“The Leamington Grid will provide our students with the opportunity to study or undertake group work without the need to travel to campus and free from the distractions of studying at home,” head of communications Peter Dunn told the Boar.

The grid will accommodate 18 fixed PC spaces and just over thirty desks. Opening hours will be 12.00-22.00 on weekdays and 09.00-17.00 at weekends during term time and the Easter vacation.

However, Mr Dunn stressed this is only a temporary measure: “This should still be seen as a pilot space in central Leamington which we will monitor to see what the demand levels really and how best we can deliver a long a long term presence in Leamington.

“There is no final decision yet as to where that long term presence will be, however our focus in this project remains on how best to meet the needs of our students in Leamington.”

The learning space will be available to Warwick students only; access will be controlled by University cards and the space will be ran by library staff.

The Students’ Union (SU) has welcomed the move. “We at the Student Union are looking forward to the development of study space in Leamington Spa,” said education officer James Entwistle. “It will provide support to the growing student population and go some of the way to meeting the current demand for study space.

“As a pilot, we are optimistic that the space will prove popular and demonstrates the demand for more space, with the hope that further investment can be made in the near future.”

Warwick SU has also confirmed a new “study hub” will open in Rootes Social Building.

“There will be more detail later in the year on this and other exciting new developments to support the Warwick teaching and learning experience,” Dunn added.

The Leamington Grid has not been welcomed by all. Bath Place Community Venture had hoped the old library site would be considered for the new learning grid when Student Council voted to mandate the sabbatical officers to lobby the University to consider Bath Place as a site for such a space.

The space was due to open in term three of last year but was subsequently put back due to safety concerns over the proposed location under the railway arches in south Leamington.