York Uni People & Planet Heslington East Campaign

People & Planet society is working with YUSU to let students know what Heslington East is all about, and find out their views on it.

=About Heslington East=

(From GoodMag Issue #2.)



Heslington East. What is it? Where is going to be? And what is the big fuss about anyway?

Since April 2004, when the University handed in its Outline Planning Application for the Heslington East site to the York City Council, there have been several articles in student newspapers on the issues surrounding its construction. However, just how much of the student population actually knows anything about it? From an informal interview carried out it seems that most of the interviewees had some general information on the expansion but there was a common consensus that the university did not seem to do enough to publicize these issues to the students. So if you've never about Heslington East, or if you have but want to know a bit more then read on...

Heslington East is the proposed development of a new campus for the University of York. It will include facilities for academic, research and commercial, and community purposes. The location of the build would be on approximately 287acres of a green field site in the village of Heslington, as shown on the map. The new campus would include: 4 new colleges, which includes 3,300 bedrooms; a large scale performing art centre where student events like FRESH could be staged; a conference facility; a new sports centre including a swimming pool; buildings for new academic subjects such as Dentistry, Law, and Theatre, Film and Television and for existing subjects such as Computer Science and a part of the Electronics; and a new artificial lake. There would also be 'spin out' companies and research institutes located alongside academic departments.

There are arguments for, and arguments against, the proposed new site.

For Heslington East

 * High Student Demand. For every undergraduate place available at the University of York there are ten applicants vying for the position. With the introduction of new departments and building of 4 additional colleges the university with able to accommodate 5400 more students.
 * The University's Economic Contribution. The university is already one of York's largest employers, currently employing 2500 staff which will reach to a projected 4500 once Heslington East is completed. This figure does not include employment during the construction process or the 'knock on' effect it will have in the growth of associated employment within the local area.
 * The University's Role in Research and Development. In the Summary: The Overall Case for Heslington East, Brian Cantor, the Vice Chancellor of the University of York, states that 'If we cannot grow we will stagnate. Being too small in an increasingly complex, knowledge â€“ based global environment which requires universities to play a central role is highly disadvantageous and if we do not grow we will rapidly begin to decline'. According to the university's website pressures such as 'high calibre researchers from all over the world wish to relocate to York' and 'space near key university researchers is in high demand from high-tech companies' means that the only way to the accommodate these 'needs' is through an expansion.
 * And lastly, the number of visitors to the University directly benefits the tourist industry in York.

Against Heslington East
So why is this expansion so controversial? All the points listed above seem to be good things, aren't they? Well they are, but with every conflict of interest there are always two sides. The opposing side consists of various staff and students of the university and many local residents. The main areas of concern include the effects the expansion on Heslington East will have on the academic rating of the university, on the local community and it residents, and on the environment.

York's Academic Rating
As you must have already guessed such a large scaled project will be very expensive. One major concern is that a large proportion of the universities funds will be directed towards the expansion rather than improving existing facilities. Also, with the university dropping from 1st to 57th in the teaching quality league table and slipping from 7th to 15th in the Times 2007 League Table in the previous year (as reported in the November 28, 2006 issue of Nouse), staff and student are becoming concerned about the amount of resources being spent on Heslington East. Some believe that it is at the expense of the university's excellent teaching research profile.

The Local Community and its Residents
Although the University has promised a wealth of jobs most of the new jobs generated from this development will go to people outside the area. There is also the question: with the increase in population will there be enough housing to accommodate everyone? Due to the high concentration of students there may develop an imbalance in the makeup of the community and a large strain on local services and activities such as pubs, shop and clubs. More importantly is the effect of the construction and development process, which is estimated to last 10 to 15 years, will have on the community as a whole.

The Environment
The University's decision to use a green field site for its expansion has sparked much debate on just how environmentally friendly is this proposal really is. The Heslington Parish Council website in The University Expansion section states that 'Educational use is not appropriate for Green Belt. In the government Planning Policy Guidelines number 2 1 educational purposes are considered inappropriate for Green Belt land' and 'Hectares are allocated for Science City and other emerging "knowledge-based" "clusters*". These activities are essentially commercial enterprises and are inappropriate uses for Green Belt Land according to PPG2'. Several brown field sites where suggested, such as the former Terry's site, Hungate, however the university's response to this issue was stated in the Summary: The Overall Case for Heslington East where the vice chancellor stated that 'The land (Heslington East) is currently in green belt but I believe there are very special circumstances for permitting such development. The very special circumstances are our educational, economic and social contribution to the local community, the region and nationally'. Another major concern is that congestion on the Heslington/ Fulford road will increase.

So what now?
Well, the public inquiry which began in May 2006, ended in December 2006. A final decision from Communities and Local Government Secretary, Ruth Kelly, is anticipated in the first half of this year.

Now that you have some basic information, start asking questions and demanding answers about Heslington East. Although the current student population will not experience the future benefits of this expansion, if the build does go ahead, they will be subjected the costs of its implementation.

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