MEDWAY is on course to become a student powerhouse with a university's change of name and a pledge to pump millions of pounds into Chatham Maritime.

The University of Greenwich at Medway - formerly known as the Medway Campus - is doubling student numbers this year to more than 2,500. It is spending an extra £4 million transforming the campus and by next year will be investing well over £20 million a year.

This huge capital programme will bring hi-tech research and science facilities to Medway with the transfer from Woolwich of the School of Chemical and Life Sciences and 1,500 students and staff. While many students will be bussed in, there is an urgent need for local accommodation.

The university is working on plans for new halls of residence at Chatham Maritime. In another boost for Medway, the civil engineering department is moving from the university's Dartford campus in September, bringing another 200 students and 15 staff. The Dartford campus closes next year.

The university is also setting up a new division of external and combined studies at Medway.

All these moves are expected to lead to more than 2,000 students enrolling at Chatham Maritime in September.

Professor Rick Traynor, vice-chancellor, explained why he had changed the name. He said: "It's an indication of the importance of this campus to the institution and the importance of Medway and north and west Kent to the university. We see Medway as a good location. It has good transport links and it's an area that a lot of development attention is focused on."

He added: "By September, we will have more than doubled the number of students and staff on this campus and will be offering a much broader range of subjects, creating a major centre of teaching, consultancy and research in science and technology."