No matter how long you’ve been a Lancaster student, you may have caught wind of the ongoing battle between students and Lancaster locals that graces our lovely city.
Although we are a university oriented publication, we recognise that Lancaster just wouldn’t be the same without the locals. So, we took the liberty of creating a pros and cons list of both the locals and the students in Lancs, with both their presence and their perspective being evaluated.
It’s the kind of text that will bring peace to the future generations of Lancaster. Don’t thank us, we are only doing what needs to be done.
This is exciting, it’s like Lancs uni and Lancs locals are in a Shakespeare play. It’s the Montagues versus the Capulets. But unlike Romeo and Juliet, hopefully they won’t be any sword fights or tragic endings…
Let’s begin with the pros first, because we want to feel good about ourselves, the best we can.
Lans student pro: economics
With the influx of students interspersing Lancaster City Centre, you can imagine how well businesses do during peak term times – especially in September during Freshers Week.
It has been shown Lancaster Uni students boost the local economy immensely. From students grabbing a coffee, having a drink in Spoons, buying a gym membership you’ll never use, or grabbing a cheeky Sultans takeaway, only drives sales up. Allowing businesses to operate during ‘quieter’ seasons, knowing they will still generate some revenue from the students.
Lancs student pro: more buses
More people mean more transport is needed. As busy as those buses get going around the city centre and into the uni (we know they’re hated), but this does mean that buses are quite frequent.
You’re never (normally) waiting too long for a bus; if this were a smaller place without a uni, buses would be so quiet that sometimes they might not even show. So even if you’re not a student, you have the large student population to thank for the numerous buses circling.
Lancaster student pro: a warm community
Lancaster is a relatively small city, so the abundance of students does fill it out quite a bit and actually provides a young and energetic community for students and students alike, but also for the locals too – this means more events, fundraisers and more! Plus, with so many students you don’t feel too lonely in the city, as most faces you pass will also be students at Lancaster University.
That’s a few points to Lancaster Uni students, we think. Now, let’s keep things positive still with the Lancaster Locals pros.
Lancs locals pro: revived businesses and economic growth
Again, back to the economy, those cute coffee and small independent shops that give Lancaster that quirky feel benefit from sales to the huge number of students. Students provide reliability, which protects businesses from going bust. To be honest, we just can’t get enough Sultans…
Lancs locals pro: property demand
Residents of Lancaster can make a stable rental income with the student housing demand after the first year. This encourages the locals to make renovations and developments across the city. Additionally, this is a great little side hustle for residents of Lancashire to earn some extra money, especially if they’re nearing retirement. Win-win for students and locals!
Lancs Local pros: jobs
A pro here for locals is how the students help create more employment, with student demand comes the sustainability of entry-level, flexible and managerial job roles for the locals. Graduates who often stay after university contribute to the local workforce and improve local population.
However, there are of course always going to be some downsides….
Cons of being a Lancs uni student: feeling unwelcome
The stereotypical student could be viewed in a bad light: noisy, careless and downright rude. This is rarely the case for the majority of Lancs students, but means that they can feel unwelcome in the presence of some residents.
Con of being a Lancs student: short-term presence
Now this one can be understood, unfortunately, the freedom of uni life is not forever and flies by without you realising, but those who do realise are the locals.
They must see so many new faces come and go, meaning stability of the Lancs community is disrupted.
Cons of being a Lancs uni student: bus troubles
Unfortunately, although there are so many buses driving around Lancaster (which means you won’t be left stranded for hours…), they are often crowded on your way to or from your lecture. This is primarily due to students; this could make locals feel secondary and claustrophobic in their own hometown.
Not only this, rising fares are becoming a problem for everyone, especially with the cost of living crisis.
Lastly, back to the Lancaster locals, but not for the greatest of reasons.
Cons of being a Lancs local: the term-time annoyance
The three terms bring noise, congestion on the streets, shops and transport of Lancaster, as well as an increase in litter, and then following this are near-empty streets during the holidays.
This stop-start rhythm of familiar faces disappearing and reappearing might make the city feel unstable, leaving locals feeling disconnected from community.
Cons of being a Lancs local: Housing pressure
Demand from students in their second and third years of uni is pushing up Lancaster’s rent prices, especially in areas close to the city centre. Family homes are usually converted into HMOs (Houses of Multiple Occupation), reducing the number of houses available for local families.
This affects younger residents too, who are becoming priced out of the city in which they grew up.
Cons of being a local: Unequal dynamics
With the sheer size and popularity of Lancaster University and Lancaster in general being a small area, the university’s influence on the city can oftentimes overshadow the local council priorities.
Most residents of Lancaster are probably not too interested in the university, but rather in any important council matters. This might leave locals feeling unnecessarily influenced.
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Featured image before edits via Lancaster University Website.
