ECMWF relocation staff talk – watch again

We welcomed a guest speaker from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) at March’s all-staff talk, as an update was provided on plans to move its headquarters onto Whiteknights campus.

Planning permission was granted for the new building at Earley Gate in February, subject to the completion of planning agreements.

March’s talk, hosted by Vice-Chancellor Professor Robert Van de Noort, summarised the latest progress with the relocation project, including work to prepare the site for development and research collaborations that will be made possible by the move.

ECMWF is a research institute and operational service, producing global weather predictions and data for its member and co-operating states, and is currently based in Shinfield Road. Its Director General is Dr Florence Rabier.

Joining Robert for the session were:

• Professor Dominik Zaum, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Planning and Resource), UoR
• Nigel Wingfield, Director of Campus Development, UoR
• Professor Pier Luigi Vidale, Director of the Advancing the Frontiers of Earth System Prediction (AFESP) Research Collaboration with ECMWF, UoR
• Dr Andy Brown, Director of Research, ECMWF

Professor Rowan Sutton, Research Dean for Environment, was also on hand to help answer colleagues’ questions in the Q&A.

Earley Gate parking

The impact the development will have on parking at Earley Gate was raised by colleagues in the Q&A, so we wanted to clarify this.

The ECMWF headquarters plans include a 216-space car park for its staff, who will not use University car parks.

The development site previously contained a total of 146 parking spaces, scattered across the site. These have now been closed off as they fall within the development site, and colleagues are asked to use alternative car parks nearby.

Around 30 colleagues in the School of Art have moved off the site, as have all external tenants who were renting space in TOB1. This has resulted in around 90 fewer parking permits being allocated to those based at Earley Gate since 2022 and will help offset the reduction in spaces.

We are working with our contractors to ensure the Agriculture car park remains available during our preparation work and the construction – apart from between 22 March and 14 April 2024 while work is carried out on the access road.

If these closures will have a serious impact on you, please contact the Campus Parking team.

The Agriculture car park will remain open after the new headquarters is built, via a new access road that will run around the eastern edge of the ECMWF site.

Parking provision across our campuses is continuously reviewed as part of our Travel Plan, led by Sustainability Services. This considers demand for spaces on campus as well as our carbon net zero commitments.