Controversial plans at the University of Kent

Change is afoot at the University of Kent which is set to cancel multiple courses in the same week as revealing plans to sell huge plots of land to allow 2,000 new homes to be built as a “rural settlement”.

This comes in an effort to both cut costs and raise money for the university.

Plans to build houses on verdant countryside north of Canterbury have encountered lots of opposition with residents of Rough Common, Tyler Hill and Blean all voicing their concerns. Many residents who came to these areas to enjoy their natural beauty are worried the proposed further housing will take away the very thing that made them fall in love with their home.

Local councils have housing targets set by government to meet and when they aren’t met in previous years housing can be imposed upon them. It means they cannot say no to applications when, if they had met more targets in the past, they would have had the ability to put up a fight.

Meanwhile, the courses set for closure are anthropology, art history, health & social care, journalism, music & audio technology and philosophy/religious studies according to their press office.

Whilst students currently on these courses will still be seen through to graduation, they are dismayed that the course will be phased out after they leave.

This also means that lecturers will be losing their jobs too as the subjects they teach are vanishing;  as many as 58 staff members, according to the BBC, may lose their positions to alleviate the university’s financial challenges.

The university did say that through consultation they have managed to keep some jobs and courses they thought they would lose — English language and literatures, forensic osteology and modern languages.