UU Magee Taskforce - meeting minutes 22 November 2024
Expansion of Ulster University Derry~Londonderry Campus Taskforce
Meeting 9 - Minutes
Friday 22 November, 1400
Agenda
- Welcome
- Discussion with Colum Eastwood MP
- Discussion with NI Water
- Conflict of Interest
- Minutes from last meeting/update on action points
- Update on Magee Division progress
- Update on UU Capital Programme
- Update on the Asks
- Correspondence
- Date of next meeting
Taskforce members in attendance
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Stephen Kelly (Chair) (SK) | CEO, Manufacturing NI |
| Nicola Skelly (Vice-Chair) (NS) | Executive Director, Washington Ireland Programme |
| Prof. Paul Bartholomew (PB) | Vice-Chancellor, Ulster University |
| Prof. Paul Seawright OBE (PS) | Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Ulster University |
Moira Doherty (MD) (Virtual) | Deputy Secretary, Skills and Education Group, Department for the Economy |
| John Kelpie (JK) | Chief Executive, Derry City & Strabane District Council |
| Leo Murphy (LM) | Principal and Chief Executive, North West Regional College |
| Paul Hannigan (PH) | Head of College, Atlantic Technological University Donegal |
| Steven Lindsay (SL) | Deputy Vice President, Londonderry Chamber of Commerce |
| Alison Wallace (AW) | Strategy Manager, Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership |
| Ethan Davies (ED) | President, Ulster University Students Union |
| Gavin Killeen MBE (GK) | Managing Director, Nuprint Technologies Limited |
| Philip Rodgers (PR) | Director of Workforce Policy, Department of Health |
| Dawn McLaughlin (DM) | Non-Executive Director, Invest NI |
| Mary MacIntyre OBE (MM) | Chartered Town Planner |
Apologies
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Ian McKenna (IK) | Principal Officer, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science |
| Paddy Mackel (PM) | University and College Union |
Welcome
SK welcomed attendees to the meeting.
Discussion with Colum Eastwood MP
SK welcomed Colum Eastwood MP to the meeting to discuss how he would be able to assist with the ongoing work of the Taskforce.
SK provided a short presentation to demonstrate the role of the Taskforce and the work it has undertaken since inception in March. SK noted that the support of Colum would be critical in expanding the university campus and increasing students to 10,000.
Colum thanked SK for the update and commended the Taskforce on their commitment and efforts. He noted that many reports regarding the expansion of Magee have been produced over the years and acknowledged the long-term frustration at the lack of growth. Colum stated that it is beneficial to now have the interim report as a focus going forward and he is keen to now focus on actions.
Colum affirmed that he would do whatever he could to support the work of the Taskforce, including the issue with student visas. He suggested as this is a highly political issue in GB that perhaps this could be addressed as a specific NI issue and agreed to speak to Westminster and Dublin.
Colum enquired about the budget for the expansion proposals and what discussions have happened with Department of Finance. SK responded that while there isn’t a three-year budget agreed, the Minister of Finance has endorsed the interim report and expressed her commitment to expansion. He advised that a submission is due to be issued to the DfE Minister in the coming weeks outlining the specific requirements for finance.
Colum and the Taskforce discussed the demand for places at Magee. PR noted that the Department of Health have identified the large need for additional nursing and Allied Health Profession places, with the majority of these subjects already taught at Magee. LM noted that there is work to do in ensuring that young people are fully aware of the provision that Magee offers.
Colum closed the discussion by stating that whilst some people may be cynical, the more specific advancements that are made will in turn create momentum and increase confidence. He stated that he will help in any way that he can. Reaffirming his support for the expansion, Colum asked the Taskforce to provide him with specific asks that they wanted him to take forward.
SK thanked Colum for his support.
Discussion with NI Water
SK welcomed Gary Lawther and John Bell from NI Water to the meeting to present on wastewater constraints and the impact on new development connections.
The presentation outlined the reasons why there are development constraints, namely a legacy of generational underinvestment, development that has continued well beyond the capacity for the current system and insufficient capacity for treatment of waste water.
Gary provided an update on funding for NI Water and based on the current budget, the shortfall in the area of unfunded wastewater recovery.
The presentation noted that NI Water is helping to address the economic constraints by maximising their current infrastructure, investigating options for targeted interventions within their funding limits, promoting developer led and financed solutions and providing robust planning responses to manage the impact of the environment.
Gary and John discussed the specific area around the Derry-Londonderry campus and the effect that the expansion of the campus would have on the waste water treatment works and sewer network. They highlighted that the City was not as affected as other regions as there was capacity on the systems to take some of the developments.
The presentation concluded with the planning application process and Gary stressed the need for developers to contact NI Water early and before an application for planning is submitted. They advised that NI Water will support applications where a valid Pre-Development Enquiry identifies no capacity issues, and a solution has been agreed following the Impact Assessment process.
SK thanked Gary and John for the presentation and opened the floor to the members. He noted that the fact that there was capacity in the areas around the campus was good news for the Taskforce and the planned expansion.
A number of questions were asked of NI Water surrounding funding issues and development/capacity issues. JK advised that the Council had met with NI Water recently and articulated to them the scale of growth within the city. He also noted that the Council will convey to developers the importance of engaging with NI Water pre-application to help find solutions. LM noted that wastewater issues are halting economic development and so there are big connections between NI Water issues and Programme for Government commitments.
Conflict of Interest
No further Conflict of Interest noted.
Minutes from last meeting/update on action points
All Taskforce members confirmed they were content, and no amendments were required to the minutes of the previous meeting. The secretariat advised that all the DfE owned Action Points have been completed.
Update on Magee Division progress
Director of Magee Expansion Division, Linda McGuinness (LMG), updated the Taskforce on the current and future work of the secretariat and gave a summary of the outline of the Action Plan.
Update on UU Capital Programme
PB provided a presentation with an update on the proposed projects going forward for the expansion of the campus.
The proposed capital spend to achieve a campus fit for 10,000 students, current funding of projects and what needs to be funded in the future was discussed. There was also a discussion around the extent of information to be presented in the Taskforce final report.
Update on the Asks
SK noted that updates on the asks were presented throughout the meeting.
Correspondence
Minister Murphy issued a letter to the Taskforce Chair on 13 November formally acknowledging Ask 1 from the interim report and confirming agreement with the Taskforce assumptions.
Date of next meeting
The date of the next meeting was confirmed for 9 December 2024.
Action Points
No Action points from this meeting.