Why is the University pursuing such an ambitious development program?

Why is the University pursuing such an ambitious development program?

The University has developed the strategic goal (MQ@50 PDF) to be among the top eight research universities in Australia and among the top 200 in the world.To achieve this goal the principles are quite simple;

• We need to be able to attract the best staff including global leaders in research.
• To attract the best staff, the University must have the best facilities support, and the funding to maintain and continually develop them .
• By having the best staff and researchers in Australia, and the best facilities, we will attract the best students.

The key components of this program are;

1. Renewed infrastructure

From the statement above, the physical facilities of the University (the buildings we work, teach, study, research, play and relax in) must be supportive of our vision. Therefore some of our current facilities will need renewal. This renewal will be major or minor depending on the facility, and the time of the last refurbishment. In some cases, such as the Library, it was appropriate for a new facility to be built to replace the old one.

The University will also need to complete the current backlog of deferred maintenance. This will ensure that the University community enjoys the best facilities possible for teaching and research.

2. Commercial development

The University is uniquely placed within the following:

• Sydney metropolitan area: location in Northern suburbs, railway station on campus, serviced by freeway

• Local Ryde council area: adjacent to major shopping centre, located within Macquarie Park corridor.

This unique placement provides the University with an exclusive opportunity. This opportunity is to create a long term sustainable income stream that is not dependent on either the Government or future students enrollments, and therefore establish the University as truly sustainable and financially independent.

The income stream will be created by the development of appropriate buildings outside the University academic core, that will be attractive to a wide range of commercial and research based tenants.

Developing the University property also gives us the opportunity to enter into multiple research and development partnerships with like-minded companies to further our research aims.

At the completion of the development the subject of the concept plan, the income from commercial tenants should be in excess of $90 million per year.
Both commercial development combined with other significant fundraising activities will help diversify our revenue sources and make us less vulnerable to any potential downturn in the international student market.

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What is the Concept Plan?

What is the Concept Plan?

The Macquarie University campus occupies approximately one third of the Macquarie Park Corridor, North Ryde New South Wales, which forms part of the Global Economic Corridor identified in the State Government's Metropolitan Strategy.

The key components of the development of the campus are described in the Macquarie University Concept Plan, which has been submitted to the Department of Planning (DoP) under Part3A of the EP&A Act, and which takes account of recent amendments to Schedule 3 of State Environmental Planning Policy (Major Projects) 2005.

The Concept Plan builds on a strong planning record and encapsulates key attributes of the original Master Plan prepared in 1966 as well as modelling elements of sustainability and commercialisation as required by our MQ@50 'vision' and the University's plan for Strategic Directions: Partnership and Performance 2008-2012. The University identifies developing research partnerships with the technology corridor—such as the Hearing Hub—as a key priority.

The Concept Plan establishes the parameters for the strategic development of the Macquarie University Academic Core, as well as to allow for the development of land outside of the Core, for commercial and/or research and development uses. In summary, the Concept Plan contemplates the following:

An additional 400,000 square metres of broad commercial gross floor area (GFA) outside the Academic Core (within a proposed mixed uses zone);

An additional 61,200 square metres of academic GFA within the Academic Core;

An additional 3,450 beds within the University Housing Precinct for MQ purposes only;

Upgrading and improvements to the road network as required;

Establishment of a landscaped open space pattern across the Campus integrated with the pedestrian and cycle network; and

Car-parking structures at key vehicle access points across the Campus.

The University has worked very closely with all government agencies and authorities in the establishment of the Concept Plan, including the City of Ryde and Department of Planning. The key principles of all submissions received from agencies and authorities in regards to the Concept Plan have been incorporated into the Preferred Project Report (to be submitted in early 2009), along with additional modelling requested by agencies including the Ministry of Transport and the Department of Planning.

Ministerial approval of the Concept Plan is most likely to be received in mid 2009, and will establish Macquarie University as a 'Site of State Significance'. The Concept Plan will then be recognised as the principal planning control document for all projects exceeding $15 million in capital value at Macquarie University and will allow a superior level of surety and efficiency in the submission and approval of Project Applications. All Project Applications will be submitted to and approved by the Department of Planning.

The Concept Plan, once approved, will deliver sustainable benefits through MQ@50 and beyond.

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What disruption is likely to occur as a consequence of development?

What disruption is likely to occur as a consequence of development?

It is inevitable that a consequence of progress is change, and that change in a development and construction sense may appear to be disruptive. Changes on Campus that will occur to facilitate projects will be driven by the management of safety the University community, project workers environment and other risks. These changes will generally be ;

• Diversion and alteration of pedestrian and vehicular traffic flows and routes

• Relocation and re-establishment of facilities like bus stops, car parking locations, habitat and open space and other infrastructure

• Establishment of site compounds for the construction of facilities

The positive outcomes of change will be facilities consistent with the vision of MQ@50 requisite with attracting and maintaining the best staff and students from Australia and around the world.

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Will parking be affected during such major development?

Will parking be affected during such major development?

A key planning premise is that there will be no net loss of parking spaces for staff and students. There will however be a reasonable level of temporary and permanent relocation of car parking as the campus develops and our new train station comes on line in early 2009.

Planning for sustainability and the arrival of the new train station requires that the University set targets to reduce our overall reliance on car transport to significantly assist in the reduction of our carbon footrprint as an organisation. For this reason ambitious targets are being shared by the University and the City Ryde to decrease our reliance on car based transport.

The target mandated by the Ministry of Transport and Department of Planning is for a 40% shift from private transport (i.e. cars) to public transport over the next 25 years. Over this time the way in which we travel to and through the University will need to change achieve these goals for the betterment of the environment, the University and the broader community.

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