(Image Creds: York Uni SU)
The University is aiming to invest £4.5 million in renovating the Environment Building near Market Square by the 2027/2028 academic year to create a new student centre.
Our Student Union Officers have campaigned hard to complete their manifesto goal of securing a new student centre for all uni of York students to enjoy.
After the university cancelled plans for a new student centre in 2024 it is a humongous achievement for our SU officers for securing a whopping £4.5 million to transform the abandoned building in market square into a home for student activity.
The York Student Union Affairs Officer and Activities Officer have been campaigning for a new student centre since their first years as student union officers after initial plans had paused. They fought hard for the new student centre by lobbying key university staff, a dedicated poster campaign and refining the initial proposal brief and foundational design plans.
Despite this huge success, it comes at a time where our SU officers are handing over the reins to the new officers but have ensured that their successors Sam and Alex will take over their work to ensure the student voice is heard throughout the entire process.
The new building will have many amenities such as a new food and drink venue, a performance space, flat floor and activities spaces for student groups, a merch shop and student enterprise spaces.
Lewis Parrey, our Union Affairs Officer, shared that he is “very happy that we’ve been able to secure a £4.5 million investment for a new student centre, to provide spaces and facilities that are missing currently. The student experience at York has suffered from the lack of dedicated student union space, and I hope this will provide more activity and opportunity for students”
This strong effort does not go unnoticed and his hard work will have a great impact on future York generations with the launch of this new space.
Kaitlyn Beattie-Zarb, Our Activities Officer, shared that she is “ecstatic that after 2 years of work we can finally announce the upcoming arrival of a new student centre. For years now student groups have struggled through a stream of campus changes that have limited their ability to do their activities with ease. The spaces students use to meet, socialise, and do their activity are in desperate need of investment, and I have been honoured to push for a range of brand new student group spaces in this building. Best of all, they will all be exclusively bookable via the SU, which means no longer having to compete with university staff and external bookings to gain access to the core spaces that students need! Enjoy the space when it comes, it has been an absolute joy to work on building this for you all!”
The acknowledgement of student group struggles with campus spaces is noteworthy as it reiterates how much our SU officers listen to student voices and fight for change.
This is such a huge success for our SU officers and I can’t wait to see what happens with the project.