UCL’s campus is now smokefree

The new policy extends the area in which smoking is not permitted to the whole of the UCL estate, including all public spaces and outdoor spaces. 

The smoke-free zone now covers all UCL-owned areas – indoors and out – including public spaces such as Malet Place, Foster Court, the Main Quad, South Quad, Wilkins Terrace and the Japanese Garden. Smoking is also prohibited within five metres of entrances to all UCL-owned buildings and outside open building windows.

“UCL already had a Smoking Policy that prohibited smoking in internal spaces and restricted smoking outside windows and doorways,” said Professor Graham Hart, Dean of UCL Population Health Sciences, who chaired the working group that discussed approaches to UCL becoming smokefree. 

“But many of our community felt that we should be doing more to protect staff and students from the harms of smoking, in response to the changing culture around smoking.”

The new policy also supports the provision of high-quality information and support for staff and students at UCL who want to quit smoking. This is available on the UCL Health & Wellbeing website.

The new policy was developed following a month-long consultation with members of the UCL community earlier this year.