University planning to transform Senate House into a student area with its own bar

A new place to drown your sorrows?


Following the announcement at UoB’s Annual Member’s Meeting that Senate House was to undergo significant changes in the next two years, The Tab can reveal that the university is planning to re-purpose most of the building into student owned space and student facing services as part of the Tyndall Place development.

The headline changes involved in this development include the building of a new library and pedestrianising Tyndall Avenue.

This sight could be a thing of the past

According to Union Affairs Office Jamie Cross: “There have been a few discussions so far as to what should be in the building” with  a bar, a student enquiry centre, more study space, a global lounge and “perhaps activity space” all amongst the ideas currently being floated.

Cross said: “At the moment the University are planning a student consultation on the whole of Tyndall Place, so I’m hoping we get some more concrete evidence about what students would find useful from that. In the mean time I’m pushing for the space to be student owned on the lower floors, moving up to student facing services on the higher floors.”

“I also am pushing for multi-purpose so that spaces aren’t left empty and unusable at different times of the day e.g. when societies could use them, and finally spaces for student counselling.”

Great place for a bar

“Specifically in regards to study spaces, they may move floors but will still exist in a larger quantity in the new building. I know that our Head of Library Services has done some work on ensuring that there will be the same level of study spaces available whilst the whole Tyndall Place development is taking place.”

Initially the university were hoping to to finalise plans for Senate House by September 2018 but a timescale is still yet to be decided and put in place. You can add your views to the consultation here.