LONDON’S GLOBAL UNIVERSITY UCL Stratford: An update for residents of Carpenters Estate UCL’s proposals will be subject to consideration by Newham Council’s Cabinet Bloomsbury campus When UCL was founded in Bloomsbury in 1826 as England’s third university, it faced a barrage of criticism because of its mission to open up access to university to people of all backgrounds. It was derided as the ‘Cockney College’. Remaining true to its values, it has developed into one of the world’s top universities. As the commencement of UCL’s third century approaches, it is time for the next big step. We want to extend our operations to east London and to invest in the future of Stratford. This is not just investment in Stratford’s economic success, but in the welfare of local residents, extending opportunities in local schools, access to university education, to training, employment and healthcare. To achieve this, we seek to establish a world-class academic quarter in the heart of Stratford. ABOUT UCL UCL’s founding principles of academic excellence and conducting research aimed at addressing real-world problems continue to inform our work. UCL enjoys an international reputation for innovation and excellence and is currently home to 25,000 students and 8,000 staff, including more than 4,000 academic and research staff, dedicated to research and teaching of the highest standards. 5.05 I current development 2011 5.05.01 Olympic regeneration The development of the Olympic Park has revolutionised the landscape within this once neglected part of the City. The Park was built on largely contaminated land, which had to be cleaned up before any building work could take place. Hundreds of buildings across the 2011 site were demolished and all overhead power lines which dominated the landscape were placed underground around the entire surrounding area. The waterways that criss-cross the Olympic Park and surrounding areas severely hinder connectivity were cleaned up and a series of new links and crossings were constructed to link the development and local communities together more efficiently. Carpenters Estate boundary PROGRESS TO DATE N UCL has examined a number of sites across London, and Carpenters Estate is our preferred option. In November 2011, UCL and Newham Council agreed that key: UCL could begin a process of assessing the potential to establish a new university quarter at Carpenters Estate. In March 2012, UCL held a drop-in session over two days to enable the local community to find out more about UCL and for UCL to find out more about the local community. Since March, we have been actively involved in the essential early technical stages of examining options for developing new facilities in London beyond UCL’s Bloomsbury base A. current OS site map 2011 on the 23 acres of the Carpenters Estate designated B. Velodrome, Olympic Park by Newham council for comprehensive redevelopment. C. Olympic Stadium, Olympic Park Our ideas are still developing and we want to continue D. Stratford under construction A. working with the local community as we move forward. Our current thinking includes facilities for research across B. C. D. a range of subjects and for postgraduate teaching; student and staff accommodation; and facilities for UCL partners from science, technology and other sectors to enable us to develop further the collaborative approach to our work. page 44 UCL has established a dedicated professional project team to review the opportunity at Carpenters Estate, guided by a group of high-level academics. VISION We believe that the Carpenters Estate offers an ideal location from which to: • Develop world-class education and research facilities to enable UCL as a leading global university to grow. • Create an environment and facilities that enable UCL to partner with science, technology and institutions and act as a magnet for established businesses and start-up companies. • Widen participation in higher education and recruit more students from the local area. • Increase educational and job opportunities for the local community. • Provide direct benefits through the use and availability of UCL facilities e.g. libraries, ICT suites and meeting spaces. • Develop high-quality architecture and public spaces that are environmentally sustainable. We have reviewed the opportunities for the Carpenters Estate site, which is comparable in size to our existing campus in Bloomsbury. We have concluded that it has the potential to accommodate between 1.5 million and 3 million square feet of research, teaching and residential facilities. Alongside this, there will be opportunities for collaboration and partnerships with private, educational and international partners and for other non-UCL uses including housing. UCL Stratford is intended to be an integral part of the community and be welcoming and accessible. UCL is world-renowned for its work in architecture and the built environment, and we will bring that expertise to bear in the development of the university quarter. Illustration of potential site density and coverage. This is not a representation of the scheme that will ultimately be developed. UCL Stratford assumed uses Teaching 6% Learning 6% Non-UCL uses including residential Research 32% 21% UCL residential 21% Support 14% Key Learning (libraries, study areas etc.) Teaching (classrooms, lecture theatres, etc.) Research (laboratories, workshops etc.) Support (offices, catering, security etc.) UCL residential (staff & student residences) Non-UCL uses including residential COMMUNITY BENEFITS Employment UCL’s proposed development in Carpenters Estate would provide a regionally, nationally and internationally recognised mixed-use university quarter that would create a range of financial, economic and social benefits for residents and businesses across Newham. Analysis by independent consultants demonstrates that UCL proposals would provide: • £1 billion investment over the development period, creating more than 1,100 new jobs in Newham from construction work. • Once complete, UCL Stratford is expected to create more than 3,300 jobs in Newham. By comparison, it is expected that a primarily residential scheme would provide 800 jobs in the construction period and just over 900 jobs when it was complete. Health More than 750,000 Londoners are treated in UCL partner hospitals every year. In consultation and collaboration with the local community, we would seek to deliver high-quality healthcare and applied research to reduce health inequalities and create positive changes in physical and mental health. For example, a recent UCL-led project in north London has reduced stroke mortality to less than half the UK average. A presence in Newham would enable us to undertake further initiatives such as this in the borough. UCL Academy, Camden UCL IN THE COMMUNITY UCL runs several major community projects in the London Borough of Camden and other surrounding boroughs. Horizons UCL Horizons is a long-term outreach scheme for students from non-selective state schools in inner London, particularly those from families or backgrounds where university education is not the norm. Horizons aims to raise academic attainment, foster higher education and encourage high-quality applications to UCL through a series of education and employment programmes. We work with 20,000 pupils, 900 parents and 140 schools each year. UCL Academy The UCL Academy − the first in the UK to be solely sponsored by a university − represents our most ambitious project to date to equip local talent with the desire and capacity to pursue higher education. The Academy is a new non-selective, mixed state secondary school in Camden, which we are sponsoring in order to share our intellectual, scientific and cultural resources to help raise standards and invigorate the secondary curriculum. Our academics were involved in designing learning spaces and resources, and our students will mentor and support pupils. UCL Volunteering Services Unit (VSU) For 10 years, our VSU has worked with charities and agencies to expand student volunteer numbers. Every year, UCL students contribute 36,000 voluntary hours, of which 40% is within the London Borough of Camden and 60% is carried out in other London boroughs. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT Newham Council’s Cabinet is due to consider our proposals on 25 October 2012. If approved, UCL and Newham Council will agree to work together using this Vision to inform the preparation of a more detailed scheme for UCL Stratford over the course of the next two years. UCL will work with residents, the local community and Newham Council during the design process. We will do this openly and through active engagement with Carpenters Estate residents, local businesses, the TMO/Joint Residents Steering Group, local groups and other key partners and stakeholders. Contact: John Johnson email: [email protected] www.ucl.ac.uk September 2012.