Nouse.co.uk » Students to face campus rent divide on Hes East

Students to face campus rent divide on Hes East

February 10, 2009
Tom Hobohm

YUSU has confirmed that accomodation prices on the Heslington East extension will be more complicated than currently due to an anomaly in the plans.

YUSU Academic and Welfare Officer Charlie Leyland stated: “I believe that the ensuite rooms have worked out cheaper to build than larger non-ensuite rooms, which throws our two tiered system of ensuite and standard.”

If the University used the usual pricing scheme at Heslington East, some students would find themselves paying more for rooms with fewer facilities.

YUSU President Tom Scott explained the new accomodation: “There are larger rooms that are part of a ‘house’ with a shared shower, there are studio flats for couples and other interesting variations.”

The University must now consider how to price the new rooms. There have been concerns since January 2008 that the more expensive Hes East accomodation could great a campus divide, leading to the creation of ‘ghetto’ on Heslington West, with poorer quality rooms and lower rents.

Former YUSU President Anne Marie Canning spoke last year of concerns over creating a situation of “the rich and the poor.”

Scott has agreed with his predecessor, saying that: “since it’s all brand new, we can safely assume that everything on the new campus will fall into the higher rent bands.”