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The James Baillie Comprehensive Information Guide

Right, there are loads of questions about accommodation at the minute, so I thought I'd copy TheWizard's Henry Price guide for the mighty JBP!

Location
On the open day I had been to every single accommodation, and JBP was last, and to be fair I wasn't impressed with the others either what the offered wasn't right or I didn't feel safe in the area. I fell in love with JBP, I remember saying to my Mum this is the place I have to go to.
It’s located off the Headingley road, 2mins from Devonshire, 5 mins from shops on Hyde Park corner. Great location, and it's up a really secluded road which I think is a major benefit, no dodgy council housing estates around us and we're really close to Headingley and Hyde Park student areas.
I walk to and from uni every day unless it's dark (because I have lectures that finish at 6pm) and the bus is only a £1 if you don't feel like walking.

Facilities
Facilities are great here, we have a common room, it may not be the biggest but its good. Ben and Jerries ice cream machine, food vending machines and 2 drinks vending machines. Sky TV in the common room which guys tend to monopolise for footy. The Office is upstairs, it’s open till 10pm on weekdays and not open on the weekends, but there is an emergency number in each room for when it's closed. Laundrette is next door to the common room, only used it a few times, it isn't too expensive but can get busy.

The Flats
There are 5 blocks A,B,C,D & E which I think are all split up into 1’s & 2’s. I myself am in Block C1. In our block we have a lift, so apparently we are privileged! Each floor has two flats one on the left, one on the right with 6 rooms.

The Rooms
The rooms are great; practically all of them are en-suite, and a good size. Each room has a TV aerial and dab radio socket so you get perfect reception and freeview works. Plenty of space, but me having such a large amount of clothes could do with more. Internet is provided in each room, and they give you an Ethernet cable to connect your pc/laptop to the university network. I have noticed my computer is picking up a wireless signal for Leeds Uni network, but I don’t use it as the wired net is easier to use, and faster. This will probably be available in the next few years.
There is a wardrobe with a storage place for shoes, a bedside cabinet with a drawer, and 3 drawers attached to the desk which I use for clothes. There’s a window which opens slightly and lets a nice breeze in if you need it.
Only complaint about the rooms is my heater is rubbish so it can get a bit cold, easily solved with a hot water bottle.

The Kitchen
The kitchens are a good size, and all the appliances work fine. You get a living area also with a 2 seater sofa and 4 single chairs, all placed around a little coffee table. There is also a breakfast bar in the kitchen with 6 stools.
We have 8 cupboards, but feel this still isn’t enough really, some of the cupboards are a lot smaller so we have to share the two extra out between us. There are four hobs, 2 big ones, 2 little ones and they are electric so no worries about gas and setting the kitchen on fire. The oven is a good size aswell, but we don’t use it that much. We have a big tall fridge freezer and an extra little fridge. In the big fridge freezer there are... 5 drawers in the freezer and 3 shelves in the fridge, with an extra 3 shelves in the small fridge. It works out okay in our flat, we just share freezer drawers. There’s a nice big sink to wash up in, which I advise you do as they do regular inspections after Christmas.

The Staff
All the staff I have spoken to are very friendly and try to help you as much as they possibly can! The office is staffed up until 10pm, but then you can contact Unite directly if you need help. Cleaners periodically clean the blocks and communal areas (basically the corridors outside your flat and the stairs) but they do not clean your flat or change your bins. But that to be honest isn’t a problem if you don’t mind carrying the bin bag 200yds to the bin area in the car park, and if you can’t be bothered doing that you’re lazy! The university security staff patrol the site at night with an Alsatian so I feel very safe here.

Car Parking
There is a large car park, which I had no trouble at all getting a parking permit for. It was £175 for a year, but as I use my car a lot (to go home and work) it is worth it. I know people who have paid for a permit and never use their car so I’d only recommend bringing your car if you know you will use it. And driving to uni is pointless, there is nowhere to park, so you might as well get a bus if you can’t be bothered walking. So far I don’t know of any car crime in the car park, but like anywhere you need to be savvy and not leave sat navs in the car etc.

Photos will add more soon!

Bed area

Desk

Ensuite, the sink is on the left out of the photo.

Kitchen area, sink is on the right.

Living area

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Any questions, feel free ask, and I hope that's helped some people :smile:

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

TheWizard

Great guide :biggrin:

It's good to see other people doing guides for their accom. Helpful to those coming here, they need all the info they can get :smile:

And I can't believe you get a lift :O /very jealous

+rep for you :wink:

Reply 2

Djablesse

Thanks so much for posting this, first of all. I'm looking at either James Baille or Henry Price, but if I go with the former I'd prefer one of the cluster flats that are shared between 3 people. How many of them are there and is the price for them the same as the standard or the en-suite rooms at JB, or is it different altogether?

Reply 3

aliclare

According to the accommodation website Djablesse.. the cluster flats are the non-ensuite standard rooms and the price is £80 -83 per week compared to the £93 - £99 a week for ensuite. I'm not sure how many of them there are in total throughout the site, maybe acommoffice can help with that? but I'm pretty sure there aren't many. Sorry I can't be more help.

Reply 4

Matchbox123

Just wondering how far away from the city centre jbp is? and how sociable it tends to be here?
x

Reply 5

aliclare

Well jbp is bout 20 minutes from uni (depending on how fast you walk), then from uni it's a further 10 minutes or so into the city centre so at a max i'd say 35mins. The bus is £1.50 from the bottom of the road to the city centre bus station.
Sociability side.. depends wholely on who they put in your flat. But there are plenty of site socials to go to, with nights out at townhouse and quizzes in the common room so there are loads of chances to get to know people.

Reply 6

Darxy

I cant believe your place is so.. tidy! :P
I have to say the office has been a bit off the ball recently but im thinking thats just a glitch - on the whole JBP is a great place to live :smile:

Reply 7

aliclare

Hmmm it isn't so tidy now.. specially since our 'unsociable' flatmate has trashed the kitchen 2 weeks ago and hasnt tidied up yet grrrr! Also discovered today someone has pinched our iron.. rather confused lol.

Reply 8

Darxy

Iron? Well i suppose you could just look for the person with crease free clothes! :smile:

Reply 9

aliclare

true but the even stranger thing was.. i was the only one who ever used the iron.. everyone else takes their clothes home to be washed etc so hmmm.. bizarre!

Reply 10

hermaphrodite

aliclare

true but the even stranger thing was.. i was the only one who ever used the iron.. everyone else takes their clothes home to be washed etc so hmmm.. bizarre!

that's cos they're all snobs

Reply 11

aliclare

nah i think it's more coz our iron was a bit skanky with burnt bits on and they didn't want it on their clothes... but i did see a toaster in the lift the other week.. maybe the iron is in there lol.

Reply 12

hermaphrodite

aliclare

nah i think it's more coz our iron was a bit skanky with burnt bits on and they didn't want it on their clothes... but i did see a toaster in the lift the other week.. maybe the iron is in there lol.

you could all buy an iron for 20£ instead of taking clothes home

Reply 13

fake plastic love

Oh my god your living room thing is so nice, I'm so jealous. All we got here in Dev is 5 plastic chairs...and theres six of us!

Reply 14

aliclare

hermaphrodite.. i bought one from work for £7.99.. since i always use it here. still never found the original.
fake plastic love.. hmm the seats are ok.. very bobbly material though could do with another sofa to make it even better but hey better than plastic chairs!

Reply 15

becca_xo

hi,, when i came on the open day i got to look around henry price.. realy liked it but i also like the look of james baillie park. you know henry price has flats of 9ush people, is this thesame with JBP or is it seperate rooms there? thanksx

Reply 16

aliclare

There are some studio flats (own kitchen stuck on to your room) yeah, but they're in the minority. There's 6 to each flat in our block.. it's different if there's a disabled room in one of the flats i believe. We share the kitchen and lounge area and have ensuite bathrooms.

Reply 17

becca_xo

oh good i would rather be in a flat than on my own. thanks

Reply 18

EvenStevens

Ah those pictures take me back.

I was in Block A, room A1, flat A...something like that. It was the basement floor. Flat of 4 people, including me. The kitchen was HUUUGE! Great flat. Great accommodation.
The best at Leeds uni, I say.