Penrhyn Road and Knights Park campuses reopen

Posted Sunday 26 May 2019

UPDATE Sunday 26 May, 8.00pm: The Penrhyn Road and Knights Park campuses have now reopened following the incident involving a World War II bomb on a nearby construction site. The campuses opened on Sunday morning after final checks were made on Saturday and utility services were restored in the area.

All buildings are open in line with normal Bank Holiday weekend operating hours, but please be aware some facilities in the Eadweard Muybridge and Sopwith Buildings at Penrhyn Road may be temporarily unavailable. Should this be the case, students and staff will be signposted to alternative facilities nearby.

Libraries at both Penrhyn Road and Knights Park reopened on Sunday morning. ​​The Penrhyn Road library will be closed on Sunday evening and Bank Holiday Monday, while the Knights Park and Kingston Hill libraries will remain open overnight and throughout Monday. Please check student and staff intranets for Bank Holiday Monday library opening times.

Students living at 75 Penrhyn Road were given the go ahead to return to their rooms on Friday evening and will receive further support from the Accommodation team if needed. The University nursery will reopen on Tuesday, following the Bank Holiday.

Cars left parked at the rear of the Penrhyn Road campus while the cordon was in place can continue to be collected by their owners.

Students or staff with specific queries following the incident should call the Security team on 020 8417 6666.

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UPDATE Sunday 26 May, 11am: The Knights Park and Penrhyn Road libraries have now reopened following the recent campus closures.

The Knights Park library will remain open overnight and throughout Bank Holiday Monday. The Penrhyn Road library will close today at 5pm and will not be open on Monday. It will open again at 8.30am on Tuesday.

Kingston Hill Library is also open today and will stay open throughout the night and on Bank Holiday Monday.

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UPDATE Sunday 26 May, 7.30am: The Penrhyn Road and Knights Park campuses are reopening today, following the incident involving a World War II bomb on a nearby construction site.

All buildings will open in line with normal Sunday operating hours, but please be aware some facilities in the Eadweard Muybridge and Sopwith Buildings at Penrhyn Road may be temporarily unavailable. Should this be the case, staff and students will be signposted to alternative facilities nearby.

Libraries at both Penrhyn Road and Knights Park will be open from 12 noon. ​​The Kingston Hill library is also open.

The campuses are reopening after final checks were made on Saturday and utility services were restored in the area.

Students living at 75 Penrhyn Road were given the go ahead to return to their rooms on Friday evening and will receive further support from the Accommodation team if needed. The University nursery will reopen on Tuesday, following the Bank Holiday.

Cars left parked at the rear of the Penrhyn Road campus while the cordon was in place can be collected by their owners.

Staff and students should continue to check intranets, the KU app and Canvas for any further updates about site access. They can also call the University's recorded information line on 020 8417 2000 (local charges apply) for latest information.

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UPDATE Saturday 25 May, 3.30pm: The Penrhyn Road and Knights Park campuses will reopen on Sunday, following the incident involving a World War II bomb on a nearby construction site.

All buildings will be open in line with normal weekend operating hours, but please be aware some facilities in the Eadweard Muybridge and Sopwith Buildings at Penrhyn Road may be temporarily unavailable. Should this be the case, you will be signposted to alternative facilities nearby.

Both campuses will continue to remain closed throughout Saturday while final checks are made and utility services are restored in the area.

Anyone wishing to reclaim belongings in the meantime should contact the Security team on 020 8417 6666, who will arrange for access to the building and accompany staff and students while they are on site. Cars still parked at the rear of the Penrhyn Road campus while the cordon was in place can be collected by their owners.

Students living at 75 Penrhyn Road were given the go ahead to return to their rooms on Friday evening and will receive further support from the Accommodation team if needed. The University nursery will resume normal operating hours on Tuesday, following the Bank Holiday.

Libraries at both Penrhyn Road and Knights Park will be open from 12 noon on Sunday. Students and staff should check the intranets for full details of library opening and closing times for Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. The Kingston Hill library is also open each day during the Bank Holiday weekend.

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UPDATE Friday 24 May, 8.30pm: The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that the World War II bomb discovered on a construction site in Kingston has now been successfully detonated.

The Penrhyn Road and Knights Park campuses will remain closed tomorrow and resume normal opening hours from Sunday. Staff or students who want to reclaim belongings in the meantime should contact the Security team on 020 8417 6666, who will arrange for access to the building and accompany them while on site.

Students living at 75 Penrhyn Road can now return to their rooms and will receive further information from the Accommodation team. The University nursery will reopen on Tuesday following the Bank Holiday.

Cars parked at the rear of the Penrhyn Road campus can be collected by members of staff, who will need to follow police and security advice while on campus.

Students and staff should check the intranets for Penrhyn Road and Knights Park library opening times on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. The Kingston Hill library will be open each day during the Bank Holiday weekend.

Staff and students can call the University's recorded information line on 020 8417 2000 (local charges apply) for the latest information.

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UPDATE Friday 24 May, 6.40pm: The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that the World War II bomb discovered on a construction site in Kingston has now been successfully detonated.

Cordons are still in place while safety and structural checks are carried out and both the Penrhyn Road and Knights Park campuses remain closed until these inspections are completed. Student accommodation and private residences within the cordon area also remain out of bounds at the current time.

Police have advised that staff with cars parked at the rear of Penrhyn Road can now collect their vehicles. Please follow police advice while at the site.

The University will provide any further updates about arrangements for site access as these become available. Staff and students should continue to check intranets, email, the KU app and Canvas regularly. They can also call the University's recorded information line on 020 8417 2000 (local charges apply) for updates.

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UPDATE Friday 24 May, 1.15pm: Our Penrhyn Road and Knights Park campuses, along with the University nursery, some student accommodation and private residences, remain closed on police advice. There is no access to buildings or cars within the cordon during this time.

The Kingston Hill and Roehampton Vale campuses remain open for any staff or students who wish to use the libraries and other facilities.

Temporary accommodation for students and staff affected by the cordon will be provided tonight if required.

Local information is available on the Metropolitan Police and RBK websites. Further updates will be published here as they become available.

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UPDATE Thursday 23 May, 5.45pm: The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that an unexploded World War II bomb has been found on a construction site to the rear of Penrhyn Road campus. A large area has been evacuated, including Penrhyn Road and Knights Park campuses, as well as the University nursery and a student hall and private residences.

The cordon will remain in place for the rest of today, Friday 24 May. There is no access to buildings within the cordon during this time, including no access to cars.

Staff should agree alternative working arrangements with their line manager, either working from Kingston Hill campus or from home where appropriate. They can access the University network through My Desktop Anywhere.

The University can offer support and advice to any staff and students living in halls of residence or private housing within the cordon. Please call 020  8417 4008 for Seething Wells or 020 8417 5660 for Kingston Hill for assistance.

Anyone with particular medical needs, for example if medication is not accessible during the closure, should contact their GP or pharmacy.

Local information is available from the Metropolitan Police and RBK.

The Kingston Hill and Roehampton Vale campuses remain open for any staff or students who wish to use the library and other facilities.

Please remember that many roads in town are closed and buses are diverted, so traffic is likely to be particularly heavy.

Please check email, intranets, Canvas and the KU app regularly. You can also call the University's recorded information line on 020 8417 2000 (charges apply).

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UPDATE  Thursaday 23 May, 2.40pm: The Metropolitan Police evacuation in Kingston has been extended and now covers Penrhyn Road and Knights Park campuses, the University nursery, some student accommodation and private residences.

All staff and students based at Penrhyn Road and Knights Park have been advised to go home. Remember you can access the Universitynetwork outside campus through My Desktop Anywhere.

Please consider this evening that many roads in town are closed and buses are diverted, so traffic will be particularly heavy.

Please check email, intranets, Canvas and the KU app for updates. We will post the next update around 5pm.

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UPDATE Thursday 23 May, 11.30am: The Metropolitan Police is evacuating an area of Kingston thst includes the whole of the Penrhyn Road campus.

The Penrhyn Road campus will be closed for the rest of the day. All staff and students based at Penrhyn Road may go home.

Please follow the instructions of the police and University staff. Take your belongings with you and be prepared that the campus may also be closed tomorrow.

Please keep an eye on all channels for updates on any further expected disruption. We will post the next update in due course. We appreciate your patience and cooperation in this situation.

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