Hillcroft College Site Sale

December 2024

Richmond & Hillcroft Adult Community College (the College) has decided to sell its Hillcroft campus site and relocate all its educational activities from Hillcroft to its main Parkshot campus in Richmond and, where appropriate, community venues.

This decision will secure the long term future of the College for its staff and students, both now and in the future. The sale of the Hillcroft site will enable the College to continue its mission to empower adults and communities in South West London and beyond through education, skills and enterprise. 

The College has informed staff of this announcement. Teaching and administrative staff deployed at Hillcroft, who wish to relocate to the Parkshot campus, will be redeployed.

Agents have been appointed by the College to start the sale process and there has already been strong interest in the site. The College will provide an update on this process once it has been completed.

For several years, the College had been seeking to develop new teaching facilities at the Hillcroft site, as the current facilities are no longer fit for purpose. The new facilities would have been funded through the conversion of the main, listed college building and former stable block into new homes, alongside construction of additional homes on the site.

Following delays caused by covid restrictions project costs increased and the RHACC Governing Body reviewed the situation in July 2024 and agreed that the project is no longer financially viable. In taking the decision to sell the site, the College has concluded that it is also no longer viable to seek planning permission for new facilities and homes on the site. These plans will not be progressed by the College.

The College is very mindful of the long history of teaching and learning at the Hillcroft site that has inspired many generations of local people, particularly women. Whilst this news will mean the cessation of activities at the Surbiton site it is not the end of the story for women’s education. These courses will be transferred to the Parkshot site and Hillcroft’s legacy will be secured for the long term.

A Frequently Asked Questions document can be found here. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via email at hillcroft@rhacc.ac.uk