Professor Debra Humphris, Vice Provost (Education), talks about the latest plans for student accommodation at Imperial.

Are there any definitive plans for the use of Evelyn Gardens?

The College doesn’t own Evelyn Gardens and we have only 34 years remaining on our lease. This is a short amount of time given the millions of pounds of investment a building of its size requires for refurbishment. We are still in discussions with the landlord and exploring all options for what we can do with Evelyn Gardens. Ideally we would love to extend our lease of Evelyn Gardens to ensure it continues to be part of Imperial’s accommodation offer, however this decision is in the hands of the building’s landlord.

Why is the College now looking to close Weeks Hall?

The College continually reviews its accommodation portfolio to ensure it meets the current and future needs of students. Weeks Hall has been used for many years and is in need of refurbishment requiring substantial investment. 

The internal structure and listed status of the building means it would be difficult to refurbish it as a hall of residence to bring it in line with the standards of other accommodation. We are, however, intent on keeping the building within the College’s portfolio for other academic or non-academic uses, the exact nature of which is yet to be decided. 

How are students consulted on proposed changes to student accommodation?

The College wants to make it great to be a student here at Imperial, and partnering with students towards doing this is critical in making that happen. I was proud to work closely with the Union on last year’s Residential Experience Review that consulted widely with students on all areas of their residential experience here at the College, the results of which we are starting to see now. 

There are some occasions where consultation is not possible, for example where there are commercial sensitivities or there are constraints out of our hands which limit the College’s options. But I think it’s almost unheard of across the UK for students to have such a clear role in setting rent levels, so that’s a great step forward in partnership working between the College and Union and it’s thanks to the real leadership shown by ICU President Tom Wheeler.

With the developments around Evelyn Gardens and Weeks the College has worked closely with Imperial College Union to keep them updated on developments and plans for the Halls and will continue to do so. 

Do students get a fair deal in the accommodation Imperial offers?

Living in central London is always going to be expensive. The location of Imperial at the heart of South Kensington, surrounded by some of the most expensive properties in the world, only adds to this challenge.

Finding the balance between cost, specification and distance is never going to be easy and what we’ve done when considering the new rent model is engage students in the difficult decisions we have to make.

The new model, agreed by students, was developed to reflect the feedback we received from Imperial College Union that, whilst high spec, the new accommodation at Woodward Hall is further away from campus and students would like prices to reflect this.

We’ve listened to this and as a result lowered these rents to compensate for the increased travel time and travel costs associated with living further from campus.

With changes to student halls seeing more accommodation based off campus what provisions are being made for students with medical and welfare requirements?

There are rooms with special provisions based across our whole accommodation portfolio. Students who declare welfare or medical requirements will always be supported in finding appropriate accommodation to meet their needs and we will ensure that cost is never a barrier. 

How will the College ensure students living further from campus remain part of the student community?

Both the College and ICU will be working hard to make sure that, wherever students choose to live, they will have the best possible experience during their time in halls. 

Our new Woodward Hall development is part of a vibrant student community of over 1,500 students from institutions across London. Students will have access to an onsite gym, bar and social space, as well as bookable rooms, supporting them to take part in activities off campus. We’re also considering how to enhance transport provision to Woodward Hall, particularly during peak nights for student activities, so that students there can continue to benefit from all that’s on offer at South Kensington.