It has been announced that Chatsworth Schools will operate the future Borgo del Forte Campus, a key aspect in the €200 million redevelopment project of Ventimiglia.
Marina Development Corporation (MDC), an urban regeneration company that focusses on marina areas, revealed on Tuesday 19th December that it has signed a partnership with Chatsworth Schools, owner of 15 independent schools and kindergartens in the United Kingdom and manager of international schools and government consultant for education. The institution will be responsible for the management of Borgo del Forte Campus, the large international educational-sports campus that will be created in the Campasso di Nervia area of Ventimiglia, just 26 kilometres from Monaco.
The international school will open to its first students in September 2026, subject to the approval of the City Council, and will be a key feature in the transformation of the Ventimiglia seafront.
Large enough to rival international schools in Monaco, Nice and Genoa
The Borgo del Forte Campus, in partnership with the Municipality of Ventimiglia, will be developed in the spaces of the former Campasso railway yard, behind the natural area that stands at the mouth of the Nervia river.
It will include 42,000 square metres of regenerated urban areas, and an international school for 800 students surrounded by a public park.
“We started talking to MDC a long time ago, when the campus and this announcement still seemed like a distant dream,” said Anita Gleave, CEO and founder of Chatsworth Schools. “Being one step away from the launch of this international school that will change the market and which will embrace and strengthen the local community of Ventimiglia is extremely exciting for me and for the entire Chatsworth Schools family.”
Facilities for all
On the sports front, the structure will host an indoor swimming pool that can be used by everyone all year round, an equipped gym, changing rooms, services and a dedicated club house, as well as a multifunction area for indoor and outdoor activities, all open to public.
To the south, the former railway warehouse building will be restored and used as a multi-purpose conference centre, with a conference room, exhibition area, laboratories and offices, all overlooking a large green park.
Meanwhile, the former guesthouse buildings will be restored and used as student accommodation with 100 beds and reception services, offices and cafeteria. The Campus will also be able to take advantage of over 3,000 square meters of parking.
“Privileged access” for locals
Blenheim Schools – the international school division of Chatsworth Schools – will be responsible for designing and implementing the educational program and learning spaces of the international school, managing the activities of the entire Campus, as well as acting as a facilitator for the integration between the school and the local community, in agreement with the Municipality of Ventimiglia.
Residents of Ventimiglia will have “privileged” access through scholarships, discounts on annual fees and regulated prices for access to sports facilities.
“We are thrilled to announce together with Chatsworth the creation of the largest international school in the Liguria Region, a driver of great social, economic and employment growth for Ventimiglia,” said Giuseppe Noto, CEO of Marina Development Corporation. “After years of work with the public administration, we confidently await the adoption of the urban planning variant by the City Council by the end of the year, which is necessary for its implementation.”
The €200m development that is transforming a sleepy Italian town
Borgo del Forte Campus is an integral part of Marina di Ventimiglia, a large urban regeneration project promoted by MDC, aimed at creating a new tourist destination on the seafront of the city in western Liguria.
With a total investment of €200 million, Marina di Ventimiglia will develop over a total area of 57,000 square metres. It includes several aspects: the main one, Borgo del Forte, will impact the Marina San Giuseppe area, behind the new tourist port of Cala del Forte, owned by Ports of Monaco.
Here there will be a five-star hotel with 70 rooms, gym, wellness centre and restaurant, as well as 60 high-end apartments with terraces intended for sale. Each architectural element, is “built according to the highest technological and sustainability standards”, according to MDC, and will be totally immersed in greenery and “harmoniously inserted into the typical Ligurian morphological context characterised by terraces”.
The inhabitants of Borgo del Forte will also be able to take advantage of a 200 square metre swimming pool and 200 parking spaces, as well as 1,500 meters of underground public parking at marina level.
The other main features are the construction of the La Rocca panoramic restaurant, located to the west of the residential-hotel complex, which will be completed by summer 2024, and Club Italia, which involves the transformation of the former ACI building into a food and beverage “hub of excellence”.
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