Sale of the SJM building

Many of you will know that the SJM building was originally a department store, constructed in 1965. Solent acquired the building in 1993 and converted it into teaching accommodation.

Over the last three decades, the building has been used primarily as a teaching space, with a dedicated IT and learning resource centre, Moot Court and performance studios, as well as housing our Showcase gallery, Conference Centre and the Artisan café.

In 2019, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Faculty of Business Law and Digital Technologies relocated to the Spark building from SJM. The move to new teaching facilities, including a purpose-built Moot Court, was very well received by both students and staff.

Now, in line with our new Ways of Working and 2025 Strategy, we are consolidating and repurposing our estate, and investing in learning and teaching facilities at our main East Park Terrace campus.

Over the last ten years, we have made significant investment in our campus and facilities. This includes innovative teaching and learning spaces in our state-of-the-art Spark building which opened in 2016, and more recently the Solent Sports Complex.

The planned sale of SJM is part of our ambitious and exciting estates strategy, with a series of planned investments over the next five years. This will include the remodelling of space for new and enhanced teaching, social learning, specialist facilities and library spaces, the Student Hub and Students’ Union, as well as staff workspaces. The planned investment supports our plans to create a modern, vibrant and welcoming campus, to support growth, as well as achieving our environmental objectives.

SJM has been purchased by the University of Southampton and, working with Solent, the building will continue to be used for learning and teaching.