More than 120 undergraduates at the University of Oxford are staying in hotels costing £100 to £150 a night because work on new accommodation has been delayed.
St Peter’s College in Oxford has paid for 20 of its students to stay in Voco Oxford Spires, a nearby four-star hotel with an indoor pool, spa and gym.
According to The Times, around 100 third year students at New College have been living for more than two months in the Leonardo Royal, which also has a four-star rating.
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St Peter’s College plans to move its students into its new accommodation in January next year, after construction was “unavoidably” delayed.
A spokesman for St Peter’s College said: “St Peter’s College is disappointed that the occupation of its new residential development, Castle Bailey Quad, was unavoidably postponed until January 2024 due to supply chain issues.
“The college’s priority has been to ensure that all affected students remain housed in alternative accommodation and are compensated throughout the delay period.
“The college has accommodated several of the impacted students in other available college rooms.
“The college arranged, booked and paid for hotel rooms, provided moving assistance and college meal credits, and reduced impacted students’ weekly rent rate over the delay period in compensation for the delay.
“The college plans to move students into their rooms in Castle Bailey Quad in January 2024.”
The warden of New College, Miles Young, said student stays in the Leonardo are being paid for by the college’s building contractor which is working on the new accommodation block.
He said: “It is completely untrue that the stay of students at this hotel is being paid for by New College.
“It is being paid for by the building contractors’, or their insurers, of our new student accommodation which was late but is now finished. There is no cost to the college.”
Oxford City Council has for many years allegedly applied pressure on both the city’s universities to encourage them to accommodate their undergraduates in designated student accommodation.
It comes after dozens of Oxford university students were sleeping in queues during the night to secure university accommodation.
Undergraduates from Oxford University and Oxford Brookes lined up outside the Finders' Keepers estate agents in St Clement's in November with some waiting nearly 24 hours.
“It’s important that the universities keep pace with student numbers and develop their own purpose-built student accommodation in suitable locations.”
Both Voco Spires and Leonardo Royal typically cost £100 to £150 a night.
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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.
Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1
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