A Plan for York

The growth of York’s two major universities—the University of York and York St John University—has been a powerful engine behind the city’s housing shift. Between the 1970s and the 2020s, the student population has transformed from a small, campus-bound group into a dominant force in the city’s private rental market.

15% of York’s total population is now comprised of students. This demographic surge created a massive, demand for housing that the city’s traditional stock was never designed to handle.

Because university-owned halls of residence could not keep pace with this growth, students moved into the private rented sector . This led to a process called “studentification.” Thousands of Victorian terraced houses in areas like Tang Hall, Hull Road, and The Groves—which in the 1970s were the “entry-level” homes for young York families—were converted into Houses in Multiple Occupation.

Much of the land where the University of York is built is owned by Halifax Estates. The largest site for housing development in the 2018 York Local Plan, the Langwith Garden Village, is on land mostly owned by the Halifax Estates. Halifax Estates benefit from increased student numbers and a limited target for new housing in York.

It’s time the Universities did more to house the students they attract to avoid banishing more of the poor from York.

Carbon emissions of students

For students, the biggest contributors to their footprint are often travel (commuting and flying) and food consumption. In York students have relatively short distances for commuting but flying will increase their greenhouse emissions. Younger students are driving increased flight demand, often prioritising travel despite environmental concerns. However, flying for pleasure cannot easily be affected by a Local Plan.