The University of York has faced a?backlash over its decision to?move out of a?historic building on?its campus over cost and accessibility concerns.

King¡¯s Manor ¨C a?Grade I-listed medieval building ¨C is?home to?the university¡¯s Centre for Medieval Studies, Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies and the department of archaeology, as well as other facilities including a newly refurbished library. The site¡¯s planned closure has sparked concern and prompted a student-led .

Defending the decision, a university spokesperson said the building was no longer fit for purpose, and that students and staff would be relocated to a different building from September 2025.

¡°We fully understand the deep attachment many have to this beautiful and historic space, and we are aware of the petition. But sadly it is?not possible to reconfigure this much-loved Grade I-listed building so that it is fit for modern academic use,¡± they said.

³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ

¡°There are substantial running and conservation costs, and accessibility is a major concern, meaning King¡¯s Manor is a space that does not meet the needs of our entire community.¡±

According to emails sent to PhD students from the university, seen by ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ, annual running costs of the building in July 2023 ¨C excluding provision of its library services ¨C amounted to about ?500,000. Meanwhile, estimated ¡°urgent¡± maintenance costs come to over ?1?million, the university said, and long-term upgrades to the building extend to ?15?million.

³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ

The university writes in the email: ¡°In the current financial climate, the very high costs of maintaining and repairing a historic city-centre site are?not sustainable¡±.

In its 2022-23 accounts, York reported a ?24?million deficit, excluding pension adjustments, following a 16?per cent drop in international student recruitment. It has already lowered entry requirements for some overseas learners in light of ¡°financial challenges¡±.

Nicky Milner, head of York¡¯s department of archaeology, said that while the department was ¡°sad¡± to be leaving the historic building, ¡°we are thinking through the benefits of moving¡±.

¡°Whilst this will undoubtedly be the end of an era, there is an opportunity to create a cluster for the many different elements of our research and teaching on campus, which includes fieldwork, artefact studies, digital archaeology, heritage and science,¡± Professor Milner said.

³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ

However, the move has sparked a backlash among students who have concerns about the university¡¯s cost-cutting exercise, and it has set off a wider debate about how the institution handles financial challenges.

One PhD student said: ¡°We¡¯d be sad but on board with the move if we thought that it would actually save money and thus jobs.¡±

But they cautioned that the move would ¡°damage the reputation of the university¡± as a leader in medieval studies and expressed concern that the university had already made warnings about ¡°compulsory redundancies¡±. Another stressed that the rationale of the relocation and any cost savings had?not been communicated, ¡°making it difficult to see the underlying logic of the decision¡±.

Yet another PhD student said ¡°there is a massive concern among us that the university executive board is making incredibly poor and short-sighted financial decisions¡±, pointing to plans by the university ¨C which have since been scrapped because of cost pressures ¨C to build a ?35?million student centre.

³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ

Constance Halstead, a PhD student at York who set up the petition against the move, noted that many students were attracted by the opportunity to?pursue medieval studies in a historic building, and that any move could result in ¡°dwindling¡± student appeal and recruitment.

York said it was ¡°currently¡± retaining the lease to King¡¯s Manor and that it was talking to its landlord, City of York Council, about the building¡¯s future, ¡°including how we best facilitate ongoing research and academic engagement with King¡¯s Manor¡±.

³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com