Wellesbourne will no longer be home to leading plant and environmental science after Warwick University agreed to close the Horticultural Research International this week.
The 191-hectare site, formerly known as the Vegetable Research Station, lies on the A429 to the north of the village and employs 226 people.
Internationally-recognised scientists carry out research and teaching on plant, crop, environmental and ap
plied microbial sciences at the centre, to help improve horticulture and find ways of coping with climate change.
But proposals to close the site and merge with the university's biological sciences department in Coventry were approved by the university's ruling senate on Monday.
It is not yet clear how many people at Wellesbourne are expected to lose their jobs, but the number of academic posts, currently 89 between the two sites, will be cut down to between 55 and 60.
University spokesman Peter Dunn said the HRI is losing £2 million a year.
He said: "Warwick University is one of the top ten research universities in the UK.
"That's important because the funding depends on the quality of research. But we are not getting enough money to do the research we need to do.
"The university feels the only way it can continue to do quality and sustainable research in life sciences is to merge these two departments."
Mr Dunn said it was expected that there will still be activity both on the main campus and at Wellesbourne until 2012.
He added: "Depending on what research we decide to take forward, there might even be some functions that will continue at Wellesbourne beyond then."
But the village's parish council chairman Cllr David Johnston said he was very "disappointed" with the university's decision.
He said: "It's going to be a significant loss to the area. The HRI has brought an international reputation for expertise and skills in horticultural research to the area for years.
"It's a major contribution to Wellesbourne.
"I cannot see that a commercial use of the site will employ the same numbers of people and it will not be employing people with the same skills."
He added: "Wellesbourne parish council was not consulted about this - the first I heard about the plans was last week.
"It would have been good to have been given some understanding of the timescales and arrangements of the closure and it would be nice if the university could come forward now with information about their plans."
The university is planning to consult with trade unions, academics and others during the coming months.
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Mato Lagator, first year PhD graduate student at the HRI, said he was "very upset" about the changes.
In a report sent to the university's ruling senate, he argued that they would have a "major impact" on the quality of education that graduate research students receive.
He said: "Shutting down the HRI campus denies the access to greenhouses, farmland and controlled growth environments that a significant number of students require for successful completion of their PhD projects.
"The decision to come to the University of Warwick is based on careful consideration of all the resources available.
"Eliminating, scrambling or downsizing these resources so soon into the careers of HRI's largest PhD class ever seems negligent, careless and irresponsible."
