GUARDIAN STUDENT PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR 2011-2012
YORK VISION Tuesday March 6, 2012
Issue 223
vision@yusu.org
WWW.YORKVISION.CO.UK
LONDON FASHION WEEK - LIFESTYLE -
ELECTIONS REACTION PAGE 3 CLUBBING HOLIDAYS - FEATURES -
ANTHONY HOROWITZ - SCENE -
PLAYING WITH
F IR E By OLIVER TODD
THE UNIVERSITY of York's lack of investment in its older buildings may have been a contributing factor to the devastating Chemistry fire earlier this month. Freedom of Information requests submitted by Vision have brought to light a shocking series of problems with the building that the University had tried to keep under wraps, despite concerns having been voiced about the block in March last year.
Meetings of the University Council revealed that the building was in near-critical condition and the age, setup and maintenance of the block left it at a high risk of fire. In December, University Estates and Management indicated that a number of buildings, including B block, were in "urgent need of attention," although plans to refurbish them have been put back until at least 2016. The findings are damning for the University in the months leading up to the opening of the new ÂŁ39million Langwith College and Sport Centre development on Heslington East campus.
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CHEMISTRY FIRE RAISES SAFETY CONCERNS OVER SUB-STANDARD BUILDING CONDITIONS