The Magee Taskforce has delivered its report and action plan for the expansion of Ulster University’s Magee campus to 10,000 students.
The report was presented to the Minister today at an event which included many of the stakeholders who have helped shape it.
The Magee Taskforce was established by the Economy Minister Conor Murphy in March to develop a plan which would deliver on the New Decade New Approach agreement reached between the British and Irish Governments and local parties in 2020.
The report includes:
a summary analysis of the economic impact of developing the campus to 10,000 students;
a plan for how this can happen as well as specific plans for new teaching facilities and confirmation of the range of subjects that will be delivered onsite;
proposals for widening participation to embed the new facility among the people of the City and estimates of how much this will cost;
proposals for integrating the Action Plan with wider City developments including the accelerated development of a Destination City, Destination Campus agenda; and
a model of governance that the Taskforce proposes should operate to oversee delivery and to negotiate a path through any obstacles that might arise.
The Taskforce say its plan requires an investment from the Executive, including £291million for new developments, property purchases and refurbished buildings and public realm.
The choice has been made to provide more student places so more students can study at home, and at an expanding Magee campus. This means that the investment in student places will grow from £2.5m in 2024 to £35.4m in 2032.
KPMG have been engaged to provide an economic impact, and it estimates that these investments will see an economic return as early as 2029, with a £258m annual return on the investment for each year beyond that.
According to KPMG, the plan will lead to an estimated total of more than 4,600 jobs across Northern Ireland, with more than half of all jobs concentrated in the local North West economy.
The Taskforce also state confirmation by the Western Health and Social Care Trust, that the plan will ensure workforce stability for the health and social care system and improve health outcomes and life expectancy for people across the West.
Stephen Kelly, Chair of the Magee Taskforce said today:
“We have been relentless since our establishment in March to deliver an action plan before the end of 2024. I’m pleased to say that we have been able to present that plan to the Minister and many others today.
“Reaching this major milestone is testament to the range of people in this group who have each brought their own expertise and experience to bear on this project. We are beginning to reverse decades of neglect and underinvestment.
“An expanded campus at Ulster University’s Magee campus changes the face and the fortunes of Derry, benefits the entire North West and Northern Ireland.
“There are teams in place in the Department for the Economy including a dedicated team now on the campus, at the University and in Derry City and Strabane District Council who are already taking action to put this plan into practice.
“The expansion of Magee is universally agreed as the most important catalyst for the regeneration of the North West, but does require considerable input from key decision-makers and the prioritising of this project, as is the commitment in the Programme for Government, means it must be resourced and supported at all levels of government.
“These required investments are significant, but in public sector spending terms not undeliverable sums. These commitments must be made urgently if this timescale is to be met. In all our engagement to date, the Taskforce has been assured that such necessary investment will be forthcoming, and in the timescales indicated by our plan.
“A sense of urgency must now accompany the delivery of this plan.
“I would like to thank all members of the Taskforce for their commitment and the support they have shown to me during this time. We have also enjoyed enormous support and encouragement from the Minister, and I acknowledge, by his pursuit of this project, his genuine commitment to Derry and the wider North West region.”