Update on our future home

Dear Colleagues, 

At the end of January 2025 we reached a positive milestone in our search to find a new home for the College and Faculties that is fit for the future, our members and our specialties. 

Following last year’s decision to relocate, I’m pleased to report that the sale of Churchill House has been completed at £24.5 million, which exceeds our most recent market valuation and provides a good return on the 2004 purchase price of £8.45 million. 

The Board of Trustees has ringfenced the entirety of these funds for the sole purpose of investment in a new building that will be our home for many years to come. 

As part of the sale, we have agreed a leaseback arrangement with the purchaser, Whitbread PLC. This means Churchill House will remain our home for up to 18 months on a nominal rent while we find a new property to purchase. Once we have moved to our new premises, Whitbread PLC intend to convert Churchill House into hotel accommodation.   

In addition to the sale of Churchill House, Council and the Board of Trustees have decided to sell the adjacent property at 34 Red Lion Square, which has been underperforming as an investment for some time. The purpose of this sale is to make sure the College’s assets are working as hard as they can and providing the best possible value for our members.

Thank you for sharing your feedback

We are working with property consultants Newmark to find a new home for the College and Faculties that aligns with the principles we shared with you last year. Thank you to everyone who responded to our invitation to provide feedback on those principles. We received over 700 responses, the majority of which were broadly supportive. 

As you might expect with a membership as large as ours, there were also some areas, such as location and how we deliver examinations, where there were a range of views and no clear consensus. We are carefully considering all your responses, which have provided valuable insight and helped us refine our search criteria. 

I’m also grateful to those who attended our AGM and Let’s Talk event in November, and to our Membership Engagement Panel for participation in a similar event last month. These sessions have enabled us to hear from you in more depth about what you want and need from our new home. 

If you didn’t respond to our initial invitation for feedback, or you’ve had further thoughts on our proposed principles, you’re welcome to share your views by completing the online form included in my email to members on 4 February 2025. 

Thank you for your continued engagement with us as we move to the next stage of this exciting project. We will keep you updated about our search for a new home. 

With best wishes, 

Dr Claire Shannon
President