Caerleon is located on the northern outskirts of Newport. Formerly the second largest University of South Wales campus. It hosted a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including education, sports, history, fashion design, art and photography. The campus had extensive sports facilities, library, students' union shop and a students' union bar. It was formerly the main campus of the University of Wales, Newport. In 2014, it was announced by the University of South Wales that the Caerleon campus would close in 2016.The university cited the need to invest around £20 million to improve and upgrade facilities as the primary reason for its closure.The university relocated courses to the Newport City campus and the Cardiff Campus where it invested £14.7 million to extend and upgrade the Atrium building. The campus opened during 1914 and closed for the last time on 31 July 2016, after 102 years. The University is proposing to sell the campus for housing development but there is strong opposition to the planned re-development from local residents.The Caerleon Civic Society asked Cadw, the body that looks after historic monuments and buildings in Wales, to give the Edwardian main building Grade II Listed building status to save it from demolition.On 7 August 2016 the Welsh Government announced that they would recommend that the main building, gatehouses and gate-piers be listed as 'buildings of special architectural and historic interest'. The University of South Wales expressed their continued opposition to the proposed listing but the announcement was welcomed by local politicians and the Caerleon Civic Society.Grade II listing of the Main Building, the Principal's Residence, Gate Piers and Caretaker's / Gardener's Lodge was confirmed on 3 March 2017 . In July 2019 the USW issued the following statement -
The University of South Wales (USW) has agreed the sale of the former campus site in Caerleon to Redrow plc. The price has been agreed as £6.2m. An independent valuation says this represents its fair market value. As USW does not use or need the former campus, selling the site is part of USW’s charitable obligations to make the best use of its assets to support teaching and learning in higher education. This sale will allow USW and its partners to move forward and explore what is now possible in the timing and funding options for the development of higher education in Newport city centre. We will work with Newport City Council on the future in the city. The new owner will now work with the council on the future of the Caerleon site.
A spokeswoman for Redrow confirmed the sale and said that the company will be proposing the development of approximately 220 homes. The main listed building in the heart of the site is to be retained and will become the centre piece of the development and our proposals will respect and be sympathetic to the building.