THE University of the West of England does not have the international reputation to deserve the Coate site.

This was the case put forward by Swindon Council for what it terms the Commonhead site in yesterday’s Coate public inquiry.

The authority has been in talks with UWE since last year over plans for the Bristol university to create a Swindon base and has been pushing its preferred site at North Star.

But UWE’s deputy vice-chancellor, John Rushforth, has already described the North Star site as not being fit for purpose.

Now Swindon Council is claiming that the deal originally designed for the University of Bath does not apply to a university of UWE’s stature. Anthony Crean QC, representing Swindon Council, said: “It forms no part of the council’s case at this inquiry to denigrate UWE, and indeed the council has been actively seeking to encourage UWE to locate to Swindon on a suitable site.

“It is run by people of good will and it does an excellent job in fulfilling its mission statement.

“However, not even Mr Rushforth would contend it has an international reputation as a world class centre of learning and research. On the other hand, such a claim could credibly be made by the University of Bath.

“The Bath model at Commonhead proposed a major expansion of the university which would increase the student body by half.

“In contrast to that UWE proposals for Commonhead involve a few hectares upon which to rationalise its existing provision.

“The appeal proposals would provide UWE with a small but useful outpost to its main centre of activities, which is the Frenchay campus at Bristol.

“Here the comparative scale of the investment becomes informative.

“UWE are proposing to locate between 1,000 and 5,000 students at Swindon out of a total of 29,090 registered students. The Bath model proposed 8,000 full time equivalent students out of a current total of 13,770.

“It is the distinction between a major expansion of the university - the Bath model, against a peripheral extension – the UWE proposal.”

Christopher Lockhart-Mummery, on behalf of the Swindon Gateway Partnership, said: “Much is made in the evidence of the linkages or synergies claimed for the Bath model.

“If anything UWE – with its close links to Great Western Hospital, on which it is able to develop and build in the short term, unlike the University of Bath which never had any funding, and its many existing and potential employees in Swindon – will be superior in these terms.”