Yesterday morning a partnership between the City, the University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College was endorsed by London’s Board of Control.

Once approved by city council next week, London will be giving 25 acres of land to Western and 10 acres to Fanshawe to be used for research facilities and advanced manufacturing.

The partnership stemmed out of a September discussion on development opportunities, according to Vic Cote, general manager of finance and corporate services for the City. Western’s president Amit Chakma was one of the speakers at the City event.

“[Chakma] made it clear he saw a strong future for Western with more involvement in the local economy,” Cote said.

Chakma reiterated this point, noting a desire for Western to be more engaged on a local, provincial and global scale.

“We are a key member of the London community,” Chakma said. “It became very clear to me we needed to work with the City and we needed to help the City. It’s really a community initiative and we each have our respective roles to play.”

London currently has the second highest unemployment rate in Canada, and Cote noted a partnership that could spark industrial growth would benefit all parties involved.

“We’re already bringing the joint venture to prospective investors,” Cote said, adding it will not be until the first part of the new year until the agreement is finalized and the City will be in a position to transfer land.

Gina Barber, a controller for the City of London, emphasized the importance of diversity to improve London’s economy.

“In order to attract employers to the city we need to ensure we have land available that is appropriate and is serviced,” Barber said. “We hope [this land] gives us an advantage over other places.”

Barber stressed once the partnership is finalized, it will be important to ensure the agreement is made clear to either parties.

“It will be a park dedicated to advanced manufacturing and research facilities,” Barber noted.

Chakma was unable to declare specifics, but was optimistic about Western’s use of the land.

“We have a few ideas in mind,” Chakma, said. “So it is our hope that we will be able to put something together soon to send a strong signal that the park is not only a concept — we are prepared to move forward.”