UCL Stratford
- Provost's introduction
- Progress to date
- Vision
- UCL benefits
- Community benefits
- Engaging with residents
- Outline scheme
- What happens next
Provost's introduction
UCL needs land on which to expand, and it has two criteria: to be in London, readily accessible to the Bloomsbury campus; and to be of London, making a major contribution to the wellbeing of the area in which it is based.
Due to its excellent public transport links
and Olympics investment, the site of the Carpenters Estate in Stratford
is accessible and convenient. Importantly, Newham is a borough where the
presence of a leading university has the potential to contribute
towards real improvements in the quality of life for existing residents,
and in opening up life opportunities for future generations.
The
ambition is to establish an academic quarter of similar size and of
equal importance to Bloomsbury. It is a long-term project. We envisage
providing state-of-the-art new facilities for subjects such as
engineering, architecture and the built environment, medicine,
population sciences and physical sciences, alongside residences for
students and staff, especially young staff and staff with young
families.
We envisage a physical development of
the highest architectural quality, an academic gateway to the Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park, making a major contribution to the realisation
of the Olympics legacy, and positioning London alongside New York as a
global city whose future fortunes and employment will come not only from
financial services but equally from science, medicine, technology and
healthcare.
We are also committed to working with local partners in relation to areas of social need, including:
- Education – through working in partnership with local schools to bring about steady increases in achievement and aspiration, and with institutions of further and higher education. In Camden, UCL staff and students are extensively engaged with schools and in volunteering, and a wholly new UCL Academy opens shortly with places for more than 1,000 pupils.
- Health – through partnerships with local doctors, hospitals and other clinical facilities, building upon the relationships already built so successfully across east London through our academic health science system, UCL Partners.
- Employment – direct investment of more than £1bn over the life of the scheme will bring new jobs to Stratford, an increase in local spending, and a developing confidence in Stratford as a business location, supporting new generations of start-ups and attracting firms wishing to co-locate within and alongside a major new academic quarter.
So,
UCL Stratford is a significant proposition for UCL as we approach our
bicentenary in 2026, and for Newham as it seeks to bring about real
improvements in the lives and opportunities of its residents. It will be
an exceptional step forward for both in collaboration, fashioning
together a new approach to the functioning of a major university in an
area that has the opportunity, energy and enthusiasm for regeneration.
It
is ambitious, complex and expensive. It represents a truly long-term
commitment by Newham, UCL, and the range of supporting partners: local,
London-wide, national and international partners in education, housing,
health, research, business, technology and industry.
This website sets out our initial proposition. It is based on broad assumptions that will be refined as the project progresses. But it conveys clearly the profound scale of our ambition for Stratford and for the wider Newham community.
Malcolm Grant
President and Provost
