Privately owned university halls of residence are being advertised as hotel rooms in Newport in an effort to fill empty space left by a dwindling student population
Newport Student Village on Usk Way is the last dedicated student accommodation left in Newport following the closure of the University of South Wales' Caerleon Campus in 2016
In the years since, local residents, business owners and politicians have raised concerns about a sharp decrease in the numbers of students studying in Newport
Rooms are offered to the general public at the Newport Student Village site for around £60 to £75 throughout the summer and term times
One student, who preferred not to be named, said she has spent two years living in the building and studying at the Newport City Campus further down Usk Way
She explained how the site is made up of four 'blocks', only two of which are currently reserved for students
The other two are used for hotel and short stay guests. "With only half of the building being used by students it's still not full, many flats are left with spare rooms," she said
"I can't speak for anyone else but personally I'd say that there was a massive lack of student feel
"My student experience is nothing like those of other friends in different universities, and that's something I wasn't aware of when accepting my place there
"You just think every university will have that feel." She added: "I wouldn't say that's entirely down to the halls of residence - yes it played a part - you don't meet a variety of people as there aren't many there
"The fact that there are limited courses there - mainly just educational - means that everyone that stays in halls is doing basically the same courses
" In 2013, the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport, underwent a controversial merger to become the University of South Wales
At the time, Welsh Government Education Minister Leighton Andrews said that the merger was not expected to cause cuts to campuses or student numbers
But in the years since many courses that thrived in Newport as a legacy of the city's renowned art school such as documentary film, photography, sound and music design, animation and fashion, were moved to the University of South Wales Atrium campus in Cardiff
The campus now mainly offers teacher training courses and business courses. But the Education Workforce Council (EWC) announced on Thursday that the University of South Wales would not receive official accreditation for courses starting in 2019
The student halls site located near George Street Bridge was formerly known as Opal 1 and run by Opal Property Group until they went into administration in 2013
It was subsequently taken over by Campus Living Villages who provide student accommodation in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom
While it is unclear exactly how many students remain living on the site, many current residents report low numbers
About 15 miles away in Cardiff, a huge number of major student housing developments have either opened, are under construction or are being considered for planning permission
It is having a major affect on people living in the city . Shannon Bull is studying Working with Children and Families in Newport and lives at Newport Student Village
She said: "It feels like there's more guests (or) private tenants than there are students
"It is so big, it's a shame," the 20-year-old added. "I thought that living there I'd meet loads of new people and make loads of friends but I have only made two or three friends
" Councillor and leader of the Conservative group in Newport Matthew Evans said: "We are a city and we should have a thriving student community here
"It's good for the local economy, it's good for the night time and it is a great shame that we don't have a university that can ensure the long term viability of the city centre
" A spokesperson for Campus Living Villages said: "First and foremost our Newport Student Village is student accommodation and our main purpose is to provide safe and secure accommodation for students
"Campus Living Villages works closely in partnership with the University of South Wales to offer good quality, well-priced accommodation for their students, as well as supporting the delivering of their BA (Hons) Hotel and Hospitality Management degree, offering students a placement with Campus Living Villages as part of their degree course
"From all our UK Villages, Newport Student Village has our highest number of returning students and in our most recent resident survey, 94% said they would recommend the accommodation to a friend
"We do provide a successful short stay offering, which we are proud of, delivering excellent accommodation, not just to tourists, but also to key workers in the local area
" Interested in Newport? Join our new Facebook group, Newport Online . A spokeswoman for the University of South Wales said: "It's a matter of public record that USW inherited a pattern of falling applications going back years at the Newport campuses
"The point of the changes we have made is to sustain and grow the number of students in Newport
"We're doing this against hugely tough competition for fewer students going to university
"What we're doing is working: we're now seeing the trend turn with rises in the number of students applying to study flagship courses at the Newport City Campus
"We've introduced new courses in business, a new centre for counselling and therapies, and the National Cyber Security Academy in Newport
"The next stage with Coleg Gwent and the Newport City Council is the ongoing work to develop the Newport Knowledge Quarter, which relies on key funding from reinvesting the value from the sale of the former campus site in Caerleon
"
For more infomation >> Cyprus, Ayia Napa 🌴 Tofinis Hotel 4* - Duration: 2:36. 
For more infomation >> Victoria's Secret Model Sabrina Jales 'Massacred' by Bed Bugs to Sue California Hotel - Duration: 3:40. 
For more infomation >> HELENE FISCHER: TRAGÖDIE IM TOUR-HOTEL! - Duration: 3:58. 
For more infomation >> The Federal Palace Hotel and Casino in Lagos, Nigeria (Africa) - Duration: 5:02. 
For more infomation >> Hotel Club Astor in Ugento, Italy (Europe). The best of Hotel Club Astor in Ugento - Duration: 5:12. 
For more infomation >> Hotel Transylvania 3 director on working with 'very honest' Selena Gomez - Duration: 2:34. 
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét