Postgraduate Wood Lane campus approved

Plans for Imperial College London’s development of a new postgraduate campus at Wood Lane have gained impetus following their approval by Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

The Council’s decision follows the sale of the BBC’s 7.7 acre Woodlands site, previously occupied by BBC Worldwide, in September 2009. A £28 million deal secured the location which Imperial plans to use to create new teaching, research and administrative facilities alongside new accommodation for 606 postgraduate students. The plans for the campus are certainly ambitious, with a hotel, gym and pharmacy planned amongst various other services, with the intention of creating a major centre for science, technology, medicine and business.

The College aims to complete the first stage of the development by September 2012 for inaugural postgraduate use in the 2012/2013 session. Combined with new postgraduate accommodation being built at Winstanley Road in Clapham Junction, the College hopes to achieve its ambition of "providing accommodation for a quarter of postgraduate students".

The move is likely to appease some prospective postgraduate students who wish to seek an alternative to private accommodation. Currently, Imperial admits that it has a "very limited" amount of accommodation available for postgraduate students, with Imperial-managed Clayponds Village in South Ealing housing 325 students and postgraduate campus Silwood Park home to just 126.

In a statement released by the BBC, Chris Kane, Head of BBC Workplace, praises the deal, stating that, “We are delighted to have achieved a sale which offers good value for our licence fee payers. The new occupier shares the BBC’s values [and] reinforces the innovative and creative culture of the area”.

This purchase is an investment in Imperial’s future growth and development Dr Martin Knight, Chief Operating Officer, Imperial College London

Dr Martin Knight, Chief Operating Officer of Imperial College London, said, “This purchase is an investment in Imperial’s future growth and development. It will also allow us to extend provision of quality affordable student accommodation, particularly for postgraduates.” He then cryptically added, “We look very much forward to collaborating with the BBC on research and other projects.”

The scheme was not approved without some controversy however, with CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment) slamming the project. They have stated that the sustainability targets for the project “do not reflect Imperial College’s reputation for excellence and innovation.”

Some local residents have also listed concern regarding the plans. The main worry amongst the contingent is a fear that the development will lead to local estates (White City, Wood Lane and the heroically named Batman Close) being demolished as part of the rejuvenation of the ‘White City Opportunity Area’, a scheme that is dedicated to bring new jobs and investments to the surrounding location. One such benefit was the opening of the Westfield London shopping centre in 2008.

Both parties involved in the deal deny that this is the case, with John Anderson, Project Director at Imperial, saying that the project ‘‘offers a range of uses that will benefit the local community”. Alongside this, the BBC claim that “it is working in partnership with landowners to build on the area’s existing strengths and bring about the economic development of the White City area.”