Funding for White City's EdCity Agreed by H&F Council

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Education hub includes new Ark Swift Primary,nursery, offices and 132 homes

Funding for a £64 million 'Education City' in White City has been approved by H&F Council's cabinet members at a meeting on 29 April.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has teamed up with educational charity ARK to deliver the  innovative scheme, which is set to include:

132 new homes, 50% of which will be let at discounted 'affordable' rents
A primary school
A nursery for 75 children
New adult education centre
New youth centre
Offices for ARK

Its planned location is Australia Road. half a mile from White City tube station, where ARK currently has its Swift Primary School.

CGI of the finished project

As we reported previously, plans for the scheme were approved in March last year. Now a new report, presented to the cabinet said: "The Education City development delivers on several key council strategies and priorities.

"The current facilities at the ARK Swift Primary School, the Adult Education teaching spaces, and the Harmony Nursery, have reached the end of their life and need either renewal or replacement.”

The report also said Ark has agreed to share the £59 million cost of building the homes.

Ark will also share the construction bill for the youth centre and new adult educational centre, and shoulder the entire cost of building the school and its own offices.

The flats would also be let by a 'wholly-owned private company', meaning the company would be set up and owned by the council.

The report says the new school could be built by 2021, with the rest of the scheme delivered by 2023.

The full proposals for EdCity, first shown to local people at exhibitions in 2017 are available online .

Local Democrary Reporter Owen Sheppard

May 13, 2019