End in sight for Ricky Road

The end may well be nigh for Newcastle’s dingiest student halls, but with plans for the demolition of Ricky Road put up for student discussion, maybe Newcastle Uni staff have a soft spot for the prison-like paradise too.

Newcastle Uni Students’ Union is this week holding drop-in sessions, providing information and initial sketches for redevelopment plans for the new, more modern accommodation complex, which is set to boast improved sports facilities.

Students are being encouraged to go and give their views on the potential renovation, with NUSU saying: “Please get as many people as possible to come with you, the more students’ ideas we can get, the better.”

Should we be glad to see the back of the bare-bricked interior?

First year Ricky Road resident and biomedical science student Ben Manley, told The Tab: “Everything breaks or is already broken, yet you can’t help but love it like an old spaniel with three legs. As long as they replace it with something as cheap, I’m happy.”

At £81.83 per week, Richardson Road is currently one of the cheapest halls that Newcastle Uni offers; for comparison, en suite accommodation Central Link charge as much as £136 per week.

Second year town planning student and ex-Ricky resident, Abi Kos, told us: “I’m gutted, Ricky road really made my first year unforgettable. I think part of the fun is having to rough it! It’s a lot more social when people have to share facilities too.”

Typical Ricky Road flat party

The small, bogey-green, bare-bricked, hexagonal rooms, straight off a lounge resembling a dentist’s waiting room, have clearly been home to many a Newcastle student over the years, but with increasing amounts of lavish accommodation available, will the end of Ricky Road mark the end of true student digs in Newcastle?

Ricky lounge/waiting room

Ricky Road in all of its glory