New University of York residential college to be created

University bosses are seeking planning permission from City of York Council to relocate Langwith College to the new Heslington East campus.

The new college would provide accommodation for 529 undergraduate students and 118 postgraduate students, as well as three college tutors and the college’s dean.

The accommodation would include 16 studio flats with en-suite bathrooms and kitchenettes, six three to five-storey blocks of flats and four three-storey residential terrace blocks.

Six of the rooms would be fully accessible for wheelchair users.

There would also be a college centre building, which would house the college reception, student common rooms, laundry facilities, a staff room and storage space.

Also included in the plans are 334 secure parking spaces for bicycles.

A spokesman for O’Neill Associates, the university’s planning agents, said in a statement forming part of the application: “The college will provide much-needed additional high-quality housing for students and will help reduce the competition from students for local rental accommodation, thereby benefiting the wider community.

“It is noted that the existing Langwith College accommodation on Heslington West will be reallocated to other university colleges, so that the development of the new Langwith College will not result in a reduction of student accommodation at Heslington West campus.”

If the plans are approved, the new Langwith College would form part of the first phase of the expansion’s second cluster.

This would also include an energy centre, a social and catering building and a sports village.

Plans for the sports village, which would feature a £9 million swimming pool, were submitted to the council last week.

The sports village would also include a training pool, competition equipment and a seating gallery, as well as a 100-station gym, a full-size 3G football pitch and three floodlit five-a-side pitches.

The scheme is expected to create 30 full and part-time jobs.