Imperial College Submits Plans for Wood Lane Campus
Imperial West will provide 3,00 jobs in offices and hotel built around new public square
Imperial College London has submitted a planning application for a new campus, plus offices, homes and shops, a new four star hotel and a public square on on the former BBC site on Wood Lane, currently known as Imperial West.
If the proposals get the go ahead from Hammersmith and Fulham Council, they will complete Imperial's regeneration of the site, where phase one, Wood Lane Studios, is already well underway. This phase will provide 606 postgraduate studios and nine homes for key workers.
The development of this new open access campus will form a major element of the wider regeneration of the White City Opportunity Area, which is being promoted by London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Greater London Authority.
Following consultation with the council and local residents, the Masterplan proposals, designed by architects Aukett Fitzroy Robinson and PLP Architecture, comprise:
· World class facilities for health and biomedical research which will bring together academics from across the College to provide a centre of excellence to attract and retain the very best scientists
· New Business Accelerator – delivering research and office launch pad space for new technology start-up businesses developed by the College’s technology transfer company, Imperial Innovations plc
· Grade A office space – for College technology partner organisations, creating an environment where commerce and entrepreneurs can develop together in a world-leading academic research environment
· Postgraduate facilities- delivering research and teaching space for Imperial’s Graduate School to expand and consolidate in West London
· New homes - 1, 2, and 3 bedroom private, NHS and College key worker homes
· Publicly accessible square – an extensively landscaped, open green space at the heart of the development, forming a new London square the size of Soho Square, opening up a site which has been closed to the public for many decades
· Pedestrian and cycle access - new safe routes throughout the site, opening up and linking to the wider Opportunity Area
· Four-star hotel – including conference and leisure facilities, health/fitness, restaurant and coffee shop
· New local convenience services – including retail, pharmacy, healthcare services, early years’ education nursery.
John Anderson, Project Director for Imperial West, says: " Imperial West will enable the College to expand upon the success of its South Kensington site to create a second, open access academic campus that provides the physical infrastructure for world-class research and teaching, leading-edge facilities for business development and technology transfer, and create an attractive environment to live and work in.
" Imperial West will provide real and lasting benefits for the capital, helping to grow the London economy, and has the capacity to generate and sustain over 3,000 jobs."
In the meantime, Wood Lane Studios are set to be completed by August this year so that accommodation will be available to postgraduate students in time for the start of the academic year. For more details, visit Wood Lane Studios.
