Self Catered Parking Permits?

Dear Lawrence,

I understand from Jess Dow that you have heard some rumours about car parking on campus for students who live in Residences next year and have requested some clarification.

As part of the Universities Green Travel Plan the University have agreed that no parking will be available to students living in campus accommodation,the following extract will be published in the residential student Guide to Services and Facilities.

I do hope that this clarifies this point for you. Please note that only a very small number of students will be returning to University accommodation this year so current students are unlikely to be affected.



The University has a Green Travel Plan available at www.exeter.ac.uk and actively seeks to encourage green travel. In line with this, it has been confirmed that from academic year 2008/09 there will be NO parking on either the Streatham or St Lukes (including Rowancroft) campuses for resident students.

For most students resident in self-catered accommodation the use of a car is not necessary The Streatham Campus and St Lukes campuses are compact and Exeter City centre is within easy walking distance of both.

Public transport is readily available and many students use taxis on a shared basis for transport to and from social activities.

Roads around both of the University’s Exeter campuses are subject to restrictions laid down by the local Council, which include pay and display and residents’ permit holders only parking. Students in University residences do not qualify for resident permits in these areas.

You are strongly advised to avoid bringing a car to Exeter.

Students with mobility impairment or other disability-related transport needs may apply to Resident Tutor/Residence Manager in advance for a parking permit and, subject to providing appropriate proof of entitlement, such students will be given priority and their permits will be issued free of charge.



The University’s parking regulations can be viewed at http://www.ex.ac.uk/about/parking/student_regs.shtml



N.B. Motor vehicles which infringe parking or traffic regulations may receive a fixed penalty infringement notice or be clamped. A fee will be charged for release, or the car may be removed if illegally parked (e.g. on double yellow lines) and the owner will have to pay the costs of removal and recovery, which may be in excess of £200.



Enquiries regarding the car parking regulations, clamping fee, fines or current charges should be directed to Lafrowda House, Room G9 or telephone on 01392 (72) 5450.



I am also attaching a statement from the University Press Office concerning the Sale and leasing of certain student residences which I hope will answer your questions. Apologies for the background colour I have taken the section from another documents and I cannot alter it!





The University is getting larger. To improve the quality of the student experience at Exeter we need to provide more purpose-built student accommodation and to refurbish some of our existing stock.

We used to fund new student developments ourselves. We would borrow money from the banks, build the residences and then use student rents to repay the mortgage. This is a perfectly good strategy up to a point; but you do get eventually get to a position where the borrowing starts to get in the way of academic developments. In other words, banks will only lend us a certain amount of money based on our income and if we use all of that credit limit on residences then we can't fund developments which support the academic fundamentals of learning, teaching and research.

Exeter is now firmly amongst the top 20 UK universities in all of the major league tables and we aim to get into the top 10 by 2012. Part of our plan to get there involves a £450 million investment in student and academic facilities by 2020. Included in that is the Forum Project (a £40 million development to provide new social and study spaces in the space between Devonshire House and the Main Library), £25m on new facilities for the business school, £18 million for Biosciences and so on.

To deliver all of that and build/renovate student accommodation ourselves clearly isn't possible; so we need to work with high quality partners to realise all of our ambitions.

Over the last few years, we have increasingly been providing new student residences through private sector providers such as Signpost and Unite. This saves us borrowing the money ourselves and means we can spend the money on academic and supporting developments instead. Two major new developments, in Bonhay Road and New North Road, are being built now and will be ready in October. Work is just about to start on the Rowancroft site near St Luke's. More projects are in the pipeline. There are a variety of models for running residences, but providers are generally anxious to provide services to the University's specification because it is in their interests for us to recommend their accommodation. The providers are aware that their proposals are part of the University's drive to enhance the student experience here at Exeter and we clearly we wouldn't recommend anything that wasn't of a high enough standard.

We are now planning to offer some existing student accommodation to the private sector as well: this is increasingly common practice in Higher Education and certainly not unique to Exeter.

The process is being monitored by a specially comprised group with members from the Students Guild. The accommodation has been offered on leases of 35-50 years. This is not a sale of freehold and the properties will revert back to the University at the end of the lease. The lease is expected to generate upwards of £25 million which would be put towards funding new academic facilities. A total of 981 existing bed spaces on the Streatham Campus have been offered to the private sector on a leasehold basis (717 at Lafrowda, 120 at Rowe and 144 at St Germans). The new operator is also required to undertake to gain planning approval and develop new student residential accommodation - in excess of 1,000 rooms - on several other sites, including Birks, Rowe, Elmbrook Cottage, Duryard and Lafrowda.

The aim is to enhance the student experience through this transaction by providing significantly more fit for purpose student residential accommodation, as an alternative to rooms in terraced houses in the City which some students find are unfit for their needs. The bidders are aware of the requirement to enhance the student experience and any potential new operator is expecting to invest in improving facilities. The University will also have contractual rights to enforce minimum levels of service to students and build quality. The final agreement will include provisions to ensure that the successful bidder will have to maintain rents consistent with the University rents and the higher education sector generally. The successful bidder and the University will need to work in close partnership.

The transaction may involve the transfer of around 35 staff, mainly cleaners, to a new operator. Under European TUPE rules they would transfer across and retain their existing terms and conditions. However, this may be unnecessary if the new operator wishes the University to continue to operate the residences under contract. If staff do not wish to transfer across then it is very likely that new positions can be found for them within the University.

The initial tender has been advertised and a shortlist of three potential providers has been selected. The three potential providers presented their draft proposals for new residences and service level principals to the University and the Guild. Of these two were very warmly received, but it was clear that one party had more work to do if they were to satisfy the University and the Guild that they could meet the high standards expected of a potential operator of University residences. We are now engaged in competitive dialogue with these providers with a view to making a final decision in September. The new providers would be expected to take over the residences in April 2009. The University has no plans to offer any further residences for lease.



Regards

Tricia Punchard