Spotlight On Student Neighbourhoods In South-east York

TANG HALL

By far York’s most notorious student area and the one most first years know. Despite having York’s best Chinese takeaway, the creatively named Tang Hall Chinese Takeaway, this area is rarely a first choice; perhaps the neighbourhood equivalent of Halifax College.

Tang Hall has a high concentration of students, although this is probably due to chance since residents are usually those unfortunate students who were too slow off the mark, missing out on that four bedroom semi-detached on Heslington Road or Newland Park Drive.

The biggest misconception is that it’s dangerous. Yes, bored kids roam the streets on stolen mountain bikes, and yes, some will make derogatory comments at you. But unless you find hooded ten-year-olds particularly intimidating there’s probably little cause for concern.

Location: Tang Hall is located North of campus, bordering Hull Road in the south, Heworth to the north, Osbaldwick to the east and Melrosegate to the west. Most streets are a short walk from a bus stop for the no 6 which goes into town, albeit at an extortionate £3.30 return. Walk to campus, 15-20 minutes. Walk to town, 25-40 minutes.

Amenities: A small but reasonably priced Co-op is the area’s saving grace. Tang Hall is also blessed with a local GP and a post office, but don’t expect to pick up parcels there if you miss your delivery. There are a clutch of takeaways halfway up Tang Hall Lane although none are open past 11pm, useless to fulfil those post-club munchies.

OSBALDWICK

Although now officially a suburb of York, Osbaldwick used to be an entirely separate village. It certainly maintains a rural feel and you’d be excused for thinking that you had got lost in the home counties. The area is generally quiet with a lower proportion of students compared to the neighbouring Tang Hall.

Despite being in an inconvenient location for both campus and town, rent prices are in fact generally higher than other neighbourhoods due to the well-off nature of the local residents.

Location: Osbaldwick borders Badger Hill to the south, Tang Hall to the west, and green fields and a ring road to the east. It is slightly fortunate in that lies on no 6 bus route to town, but be prepared to pay a whopping £3.50 return in order to get there. Osbaldwick is perhaps the only area where a student would ever be justified in taking a taxi to campus. Walking there takes at least half an hour while a stroll to town will consume 45 minutes of your life.

Amenities: The village has two pubs, several shops and a Chinese and fish and chip takeaway. A Sainsbury’s local is also a short walk away from most residents.

BADGER HILL

To say Badger Hill is just quiet would be an understatement; it’s close to being a residential graveyard. Beyond a few shops at the northern end, you’ll find little in the way of commerce in this area. So if the idea of crossing a dual carriageway to buy groceries from somewhere which isn’t a petrol station is not to your liking, Badger Hill is best avoided.

On the plus side many students enjoy the community feel to the area. Badger Hill is home to a primary and secondary school, so you’ll often see families walking their dogs on weekend mornings. The area is also popular with ex-Goodrickers who are used to living the wrong side of campus. Rents are likely to go up in the next few years as the Hes East campus becomes more developed.

Location: Badger Hill lies north of Hes East, east of Hes West and south of Osbaldwick. The area is also served by the no 4 bus along Field Lane. A walk to either campus is only 10 minutes but walking to town would take a rather unfeasible 45 minutes.

Amenities: In general, thin on the ground. The area benefits from a bakery and a newsagent, but nothing useful beyond that unless angling supplies and fireplaces are your thing.

HULL ROAD AREA

This definition covers the area between Hull Road and campus, home to some of the most desired streets for York students. Green Dykes Lane, Newland Park Drive and Thief Lane are all popular streets for students to live on. The neighbourhood is also home to Siward Street, where 29 of the 50 homes house students.

Due to its close proximity to campus, the neighbourhood has a higher proportion of students to locals than anywhere else and back streets between Hull Road and Thief Lane provide many students with easy short-cuts up to campus. Businesses reflect that with a number of takeaways and large Co-op on Hull Road.

Location: The Hull Road area lies directly between Tang Hall and campus. The no 10 bus route has multiple stops along Hull Road and runs straight into town, whilst bus stops for the no 4 bus route are just a short walk away up Green Dykes Lane. Walking to town takes 25-30 minutes, but campus will never take longer than 15 minutes to walk to, unless you’re unfortunate enough to have to trek to Hes East.

Amenities: The intersection of Green Dykes Lane and Hull Road is home to a plethora of food establishments including a Pizza Hut delivery, Ocean City Chinese Takeaway and the popular Chubbies.

HESLINGTON

Heslington village will be one of the most familiar areas to first years, especially those who lived in either Halifax college or Eden’s court during freshers’ year. The area is home to two University of York institutions: Brown’s sandwich shop and the Charles pub. The main road, Main Street, is also home to four banks, a post office and another pub, and a very useful cash machine which provides £5 notes. Next to the Charles is the Study Centre which the University opened to provide more space for students to work in during the library renovations.

The majority of students in Heslington live on the roads in between Halifax College and campus and on Broadway and Heslington Lane.

Location: Heslington village is to the south of campus, with Fishergate to the west. It is near to the no 4 bus route, as well as the Pullman 44 service. Walking to campus is about 10-15 minutes, whilst walking to town will take 25-40 minutes.

Amenities: The area is ideally situated for easy access to campus, with the Charles providing both an ideal local for a drink, and has meal deals to make eating out cheaper when you don’t want to cook. The numerous banks of Main Street ensure that cash machines are always on hand, but once again don’t expect to be able to pick up packages from the local post office if you miss the postman. One of Sinclair Properties’ offices is further down Main Street, ideal for if you need to nag at the letting agency to make repairs.

FULFORD ROAD AREA

Most students here will live off the many side streets coming out of the main road. The area doesn’t have a main bus route but you can catch the no 7 park and ride, and walking to campus involves going through the army barracks and an open field adjacent to James College.

The general atmosphere is lively with a whole host of different businesses operating in the area providing opportunities for work. There are also a particularly high number of hotels serving the tourist trade.
Location: The neighbourhood lies south of Fishergate and west of campus. Walking to either town or campus will take between 20-30 minutes.

Amenities: The Fulford Road area is perhaps more self sufficient than any other student neighbourhood. Most services whether it be a GP, grocery store, pub or hairdresser’s are provided for. The area is also home to Ebor Fitness, the cheapest gym in town (even cheaper than the Uni one). Other than that there is the Fulford Battle Site, a Golf course and a bike shop should you decide that walking everywhere is not something that appeals to you.

FISHERGATE/LAWRENCE STREET AREA

For many students this area is by far the best option because it is halfway between campus and town. No other area allows for walking to either location in less than 15 minutes. The neighbourhood also hosts Efe’s, York’s most famous takeaway, open until 4am, later than anywhere else.

Due to the high proportion of students living in the area, burglaries are higher than elsewhere but the high number of freshers who walk back to campus from town along Heslington Road makes the area less desolate at night then other neighbourhoods.

Location: Most of the area is on the no 4 bus route in between town and campus, but you’ll rarely need to use it as neither are more than a 20 minute walk away. Fishergate is to the West of campus, with Fulford to the South.

Amenities: Besides the high number of takeaways and convenience stores in the area, the neighbourhood is also close enough to town to make regular visits. Just north of Lawrence street along Foss Bank are three supermarkets and a Halfords.