Seren 90s Night Issue
Ffridd Site construction delayed
Becki Watson
T
he university has raised concerns that the new residential site will not be ready for the next academic year. The construction of Ffriddoedd Site (p, has fallen behind schedule, leading to a number of emergency meetings between the university and the building contractors. Mr Malcolm Swann, College Estates Officer, said of the issue, ‘We are concerned at the moment about progress. The directors of the construction company are going to make proposals to us for bringing the project back on to schedule. At the present rate of progress they won’t be ready for the new academic year, which is something we’re very anxious to avoid. We have allocated spaces to people and some of those spaces aren’t available.’ However, Mr Swann is keen to note that the College is ‘very happy’ with the quality of the building so far and the accommodation it will provide. Furthermore, Mr John Clayton of the Residential Services has noted that there are ‘a number of possible contingency plans’ in place should Ffridd Site fail to be completed in time for the Autumn Term. The £8 million project is set to provide three new blocks named Cefn y Coed, Elidir and Y Borth, creating 847 new study-bedrooms at the site, covering the present green field between Reichel and Plas Gwyn. The layout of the new halls include groupings of eight self-contained bedrooms with an en-suite bathroom (including washbasin, toilet and shower), with a shared kitchen and living room. There is also
provision of four disabled units. With the closing of the Cae Derwen halls on College Road, this will provide an overall increase in accommodation by 470 places. The demand for these places has meant that all spaces have been filled without difficulty, even though the provision of these state of the art facilities means that the weekly rent is increased by £5, to £38 a week for selfcatered and £49.30 for catered halls. Despite the importance of the new accommodation project, it hasn’t been without controversy. A similar housing project at Lancaster University sparked a sit in protest in the Administration Office against the rise in accommodation fees, which basically shut down the whole university. Similar concerns have been raised in Bangor. Student Union President Margi Newens has welcomed the effort to create more modern accommodation and a wider choice for Bangor students, citing the ‘desperate need for more quality accommodation in Bangor’, but raised concerns about the increase in prices, commenting, ‘It is dubious whether students will be able or willing to pay extra for facilities which I believe are designed primarily with the conference trade in mind.’ Third year History student Ben Jones commented to Seren that, ‘The rises in prices is extremely worrying. I’ve had to move back onto campus in third year because I couldn’t find private accommodation, and it’s concerning to think that other students may not have this option in the future due to high fees.’
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