Students Unhappy Over Silwood Conference Centre
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1 THE 10- OF IMPERIAL COLLEGE UNION Students unhappy over Trashed! Three groups of squatters were Silwood conference centre evicted last Friday from the student The College has announced its intention to convert the Main House at in use, that it is unsuitable for residences in Hamlet Gardens Silwood Park into a conference centre. The Postgraduates at the Park are families and that it has insufficient following a court injunction. The worried about the effect that the centre1 will have on their own facilities. kitchen and bathroom areas. At squahers have caused several They are concerned that they will lose married student accommodation, present the Southwood II block thousand pounds worth of damage kitchen facilities and access to the Main House for social events. contains 4 couples, two of which are and have been threatening the The college hope to earn money not for selling drinks. in single rooms, 2 families and two Hamlet Gardens staff with violence. by building a centre which will "Its no use having a split Union single students. Some of the squatters have since provide accommodation for thirty with a bar on one site and facilities Students are also worried that they broken into another Hamlet people. The centre will contain a on another" said Union President, will lose access to the Main Hall and Gardens flat owned by the Notting restaurant and private dining room Ian Lowles. Conservatory which are regularly Hill Housing Trust. and the College are considering a The new bar is expected to serve used for social events. The College The squatters have been living in plan to use profits from Harlington drinks at an increased price to has given verbal assurances to the flats 131,137 and 135 the since they Gravel to build a swimming pool conference guests, but will be open Students that they will be able to were vacated at the end of last term. and a squash court for conference to students in the evening for drinks book rooms in the centre on a 'first The occupants of one of the flats had guests, staff and students. at a cheaper price. come first serve' basis, but it is likely been living in the College's 2.00 Plans for the centre have been The development will mean the that they will have to book the block since Christmas until they draughted and the Biology loss of three flats for married rooms a number of months in were evicted by builders working for Department has been moved into students and the Union are hoping advance. The union fear that this the landlords, Strolmor at the end new buildings to make room for the of term. centre. The College is currently The squatters have been regularly trying to raise money for the project, hurling abuse at the student estimated at between 1.4 and 4 managers in Hamlet's Summer million pounds and is hoping to Letting Scheme. One of the conduct a feasibility study on the managers, Steve Mercer, told FELIX scheme. that the squatters had hit him in the Should the project prove ribs with a snooker cue and said that successful the College plan to one of the squatters had threatened construct an accommodation block to set a vicious dog onto the staff. for conference guests and a new Several residents have also been lecture theatre in the Main House. threatened including an old lady The students at Silwood are who is now too frightened to talk to concerned that the development will the police. The managers also cause the loss of the Student's believe that the squatters are Union's facilities. The long term responsible for a burglary in one of future of the Union building is the flats on July 18th in which Hi Fi uncertain and the Union fear that and jewelry were stolen. the building may have to be Accommodation officer, Loretto demolished to make for the planned O'Callaghan told FELIX that the expansion in the Conference Centre squatters had left the flats in a accommodation. In an interview to appoint an Accommodation will put an end to their social events. disgusting state. One of the flats with FELIX on Wednesday, Estates Officer to try and locate cheap flats Silwood administrator Keith Fisher was covered in abusive graffiti Secretary, Mr Cameron Clark said for married students in the Reading told FELIX that he didn't think that directed at the student managers. that there were no immediate plans area. Since the sale of Sandyride this would be a problem, "It may Contract cleaners refused to clean to use the Union building, but said house in April, Silwood has lost five mean that students have to get another flat where the squatters that it "may or may not be the sight of its flats for married students. Mr organised to use the house" he said. kept a dog and eleven puppies for a new accommodation block" in Cameron Clark told FELIX that It is unlikely that the Silwood Ball, locked inside. The furniture inside the future. accommodation for married organised by the Royal College of another flat had been thrown out of the windows. The Student's Union are also students was available in the Science Union will be able to take unhappy about a plan to move the Southwood block which contains place next year. Work on the new The Accommodation Office is bar in the union building into the double rooms which can be centre is set to begin in the Spring worried that the squatters will move Main House. The Postgraduates will interconnected. The Union argue of next year. back into the flats when the be able to use the old bar area, but that this accommodation is already Continued on back page. ISSUE 808 12 AUG 1988 About Town Acton Venture Day Editorial Hamlet Gardens: The student At the end of the last academic year Imperial College Community Action Group donated to the Acton £250 managers at Hamlet Gardens have Saturday Venture Club. The Club, which runs a play centre for youngsters with special needs, used the money been harrassed and threatend by to fund an outing to Chessington Zoo. Alistair Goodall went along to investigate. squatter vigilantes since the The weather was none too good as and horses by a 'Baaa' but this was ICCAG's involvement with the beginning of the Summer. The we drove to the zoo whilst the two soon rectified with some great, if Club is limited to putting people in squatters have been evicted, but vans picked up the children from one sided, conversations. touch with them and having a they left Hamlet in a disgusting the Acton area. The signs to all the rides soon student representative on their conditon. I visited one of flats after The sky relented in time for the proved all too alluring and so, Committee. The club meets on it had been cleaned; the stench was arrival of the vans with their full impatient to risk life and limb, small alternate Saturdays at a purpose- sickening. More sickening though is complements of children, although groups of children and helpers soon built playcentre for disabled children the College's laissez fair approach. I'm not sure just how many went dashed off in search of this World and go on a number of trips Year after year, FELIX runs stories because nobody was in the same of Adventure. throughout the year. The activities about the dammage caused by place for long enough to be counted. Half an hour after we had at the playcentre can range from squatters. The student managers According to the club's annual arranged to rendez-vous at the pushing a child on a bike, to can not be expected to cope with the report, there are '29 members aged entrance we were still missing one handicrafts and baking. Volunteer problem by themselves; unless between 6 and 24 with a predominance child who was in a wheelchair. We helpers are supposed to 'assist something is done, the squatters of youngsters with special needs, found out that he had gone off with youngsters with their games and will return at the end of the including those with physical and some other people unrelated to the creative attempts'. In practice this Summer. Loretto O'Callaghan and mental disabilities and their able-bodied Club (there's nothing like being means that they can have great fun the managers have done an friends'. This extract doesn't do independent!). and can act in a childish manner excellent job, but they should not be justice to the pack of loud, For myself the nicest aspect both without anyone noticing. expected to do the job alone. exuberant and very energetic kids of the day out and the normal Should you be interested in this who make it all worthwhile. Saturdays is the way that the or any other form of voluntary work Congratulations to Dave Smedley Everyone managed to stay children are so ready to trust you then get in touch with ICCAG via for completing the Union Handbook together as we went round the and 'be friends with you'. This the pigeonhole in the Union Office and to Adrian Bourne for Children's Zoo with its rabbits, places a responsibility on you not to or come along on the Soup Run completing City and Guild's guinea pigs and other furry abuse their trust in any way but at (meet Thursdays, 9.15pm in Week's handbook, Spanner. Both of them creatures. There seemed to be a the same time it lets you into their Hall Basement Kitchen) which is our have produced excellent slight lack of rustic knowledge when group where you really can have a other main activity.