Source: Twitter

The unexpected renovation of BPP Law School’s Holborn campus has sparked outrage among law students who are paying a premium for studying in London but remain unable to use the facilities.

In photos published on social media, the Holborn building appears stripped of all fittings and furniture, with BPP since confirming that the campus is undergoing “essential maintenance works”.

Source: Twitter

However, some students have claimed that they were given no forewarning of the building works, nor have there been any changes to the fees required to study in London.

The cost of the BPP’s legal practice course in Holborn is £16,690 for the current academic year, which is significantly higher than the £13,130 it costs to study in Birmingham, Bristol and Cambridge and the  £12,290 fee in Leeds.

One student said: “The pictures below show the current state of the BPP Group London Holborn campus. It is abundantly clear, and has been confirmed on the phone, that BPP will not be opening the site this academic year. Not a word of warning to students, and the London premium fee remains.

“This treatment is nothing short of abysmal. Staff on the phone have alluded to Holborn students having access to the Waterloo site instead. A site which is notorious for having limited space and no spare library seats already, even with only Waterloo students attending.”

“It’s frankly ridiculous to charge students extra for “studying in London” when all classes are online and the campuses are closed, come on @BPPGroup,” another student wrote.

BPP declined to comment when The Lawyer asked about its Holborn campus; however, it has since responded to criticism on Twitter, stating: “Our Holborn campus is currently undergoing essential maintenance works and will re-open for access to bookable space and library facilities in April. From Monday 8 March, all BPP students can access bookable study space at any BPP study centre.”

Students studying in Holborn have allegedly been told that access will be available from the school’s Waterloo site, while The Lawyer understands that the latest BPP guidance is that study centres are to reopen on March 8.

Those looking to enter any centre will be required to show a negative result from a Covid-19 test within the previous seven days.

This is just the latest bout of controversy concerning BPP since the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, with a group of students previously demanding a partial refund of their fees “based on the period of time students were unable to use BPP facilities.”