Fire at former college believed to be deliberate

A fire at a former college earmarked for demolition is believed to have been started deliberately.

Crews responded to the blaze at the old City of Wolverhampton College on Paget Road in Compton, Wolverhampton, shortly before 16:20 BST on Sunday.

The road was closed while it was extinguished, West Midlands Fire Service said, with the incident scaling down from about 19:30.

A spokesperson said crews left the scene by 22:20 and confirmed the fire was believed to have been deliberate.

The incident came after plans to bulldoze the site, which was the college's former Wulfrun Campus until it closed in 2025, were lodged with City of Wolverhampton Council.

Teaching had previously transferred to the college's new £61m City Learning Quarter campus in the city centre.

At the time, the college said the move would provide students with purpose-built facilities while the former Compton site had been earmarked for future housing.

When the campus closed, hundreds of former pupils shared memories of their time at the college, with many taking to social media to remember studying there.

Some recalled evening shorthand classes, while others spoke of engineering workshops, computer courses and friendships formed over decades.

One former student said the college had provided the foundations of their career, while a staff member mentioned spending "18 very happy years" working on campus.

Under the plans, the 12 buildings would be cleared to create a vacant site ahead of marketing the land, while also removing ongoing maintenance costs and reducing the risk of trespass.

If it gets the go ahead, three months of demolition works could begin on 21 September.

Once demolition is complete, the site is expected to form part of future housing plans, although no redevelopment proposals have yet been submitted.

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