College move - potential accomodation

[lemony]

Hi All

As I'm sure a lot of people already know, college will be moving to CTC in August this year.

I was just wondering if there any people that are local, or know the area who can give some good ideas on where to live, but reasonably priced too as our salaries aren't particulary good at the minute .

Even if it's just a spare room you know of, or a place where there are several B and B's located together (much like the beloved Westby Road) it would be great.

Any help appreciated

Thank You

[Danscowpie]

Try Easyroommate.com or rentaroom.com or similar.

Both offer good services with reasonable security precautions for both the renter and the house owner.
You have to be fairly picky, but be selective and you'll usually get a reasonable room, shared facilities and much more relaxed terms and cheaper than a B & B.
Standard costs are around £80 - £100 per week, but you will have to make a deposit (at least one months rent) and have good referees.

You may prefer to share a house with fellow students - good for camaradare and studying - in which case you'd be better off booking into a b&b or cheap hotel until you are sure who you want to be "up close and personal to" for the next year or so.

[beaver liquor]

Portsmouth & Southampton are both university towns, so you might want to consider cheap student accommodation, and maybe car sharing to CTC.

Whiteley is the nearest area but is like a down market Desperate Housewives area, so local B&Bs are thin on the ground.

[Danscowpie]

Whiteley is the nearest area but is like a down market Desperate Housewives area

Down market or up market, who cares? Where do these Ladies reside?

[phantomlurker]

Where the ladies reside...

er, Bournemouth...shame the college is moving

The car sharing seems a good idea, although I have heard a rumour that due to parking, students will not be allowed to park at ctc.

PL

[DC10RealMan]

I have many happy memories of the ATC College at Hurn and wondered why it is being moved to Whiteley and what is going to happen to the old site?

[lemony]

Hmmm OK, so the accomodation list they have given so far has places that are approx 30mins drive to get there, surely they must give some form of parking! how else do they expect us to get there cos it doesnt strike me as being a particularly popular public transport route.

[anotherthing]

Although parking is at a premium at CTC I doubt very much if they are saying students will not be allowed to park there.

Will be on a first come first served basis. Obviously car sharing will make sense though. If parking is so tight (which it is currently) then maybe those who car share should be given priority.

If we can afford to employ a security bod to stand by a door to make sure you swipe your card (no joke, past fortnight at LACC), then the car park could be controlled at CTC.

Lemony,

You are assuming that someone has thought this through... big assumption!

[ZOOKER]

The move of CATC/ATMDC is, (in civillian ATC terms), equivalent to the re-location of OxBridge to an anonymous industrial estate.
Why haven't the unions, (er, sorry, "management lite" ), opposed this?
The environmental bit of the public NATS website trumpets a 'reduction in staff commuting'.
Surely this will now increase?
Could funds not be found for an adjacent "Carbon-neutral" accomodation block?

[Danscowpie]

I have many happy memories of the ATC College at Hurn and wondered why it is being moved to Whiteley and what is going to happen to the old site?

I undersatnd that the owners of Bournmouth Airport (MAG) own the land that CTC is on and the lease is up very soon. MAG have, not suprisingly, done their sums and established that the area can be developed as either an extension to the existing terminal, or more likely to get approval and be more profitable, development of an industrial area "associated with aviation use".
Either way, I am told that MAG stand to make far more money by getting rid of the CTC and developing one or the other of the two options.

The move of CATC/ATMDC is, (in civillian ATC terms), equivalent to the re-location of OxBridge to an anonymous industrial estate. Why haven't the unions, (er, sorry, "management lite" ), opposed this?

It makes perfect sense to move "to an anonymous industrial estate", far cheaper than having the training facility on an airport and, as anyone with business knowledge knows, the vast majority of modern industrial estate offices are built with complete flexibility in mind. Most can be adapted and turned into classrooms, offices, conference rooms, specialist facilities etc with the minimum of fuss.

The important thing though is, that all such facilities have to gain CAA approval. It works elsewhere but has that happened with NATS yet?

[beaver liquor]

I understand the Unions position has always been that all NATS staff working at CTC have the same rights to car parking spaces. Any rumours you've heard about students not being allowed to park on site are not the case - because the Unions knocked that on the head, despite it being proposed by some CTC management.

I think there are plans to encourage more car sharing by creating more car share spaces. If they run out of spaces, there are contingency options i.e. available spaces on the site next door.

[phantomlurker]

yup, I have to say I was confused by the rumour - however it must be said that the carpark gets pretty full alread. Add to that the instructors, ACPO's, students from the college.

Then add in the ACPO's and APS's who will be coming when the LACC simulator moves to Whiteley (plus the ATCO/TATC using the TDU).

It's gonna be tight! Those coming in for the afternoon shift may be hard pressed to find spaces.....

Anotherthing - Agreed re a secured gate. What with the current/recent/planned facilities, it'll be a must. Might keep others from parking there too.


and maybe, just maybe, there will one day be real food outside of "normal" working hours (normal if you work in an office that is).

Who was it that called it Narnia?

[ZOOKER]

Danscowpie, you're spot on.
Your "it makes perfect sense" post hits the nail bang on the head.
As Filton is closing, let's move Parliament from London to the soon-to-be-vacated hangars.
That'll save a few bob,
Then we can bulldoze the Palace Of Westminster and build one of those lovely rectangular 'shopping' developments with a Currys, Halfords, W.H. Smith, P.C. World, Pets 'R' Us (and all the usual sh*ite), that have appeared everywhere.
After all, as anyone with business knowledge knows, why have quality when mediocrity is so much cheaper?

[ZOOKER]

Cowpie,
"far cheaper than having the training facility on an airport".
After all, why would anyone training to work in Air Traffic Control need any contact with aviation?

[twentypoint4]

After all, why would anyone training to work in Air Traffic Control need any contact with aviation?

The only contact with real aviation we had while at the Bournemouth college was hearing the odd aircraft takeoff. We often questioned why an airport bus or similar vehicle couldn't take us aerodrome students around the airport to learn about markings, signs etc. Apparently it was just "too hard to organise"... Instead we would get shown a video made in the '70s which was transferred from VHS to computer with about 8 pixels and no sound.

Considering trainees no longer get any sort of flying training or even a pre-organised familiarisation flight (and dont even receive much help when trying to organise them yourself) its hardly suprising the big-cheese's don't give a sh*t whether trainees are based on an airport or not anymore. Big shame

[chevvron]

Many of us remember that years ago, NATS were the ATS provider at Bournemouth Airport, and there were extra radar consols in Bournemouth Approach specifically to provide student ATCOs with live training. With the loss of the ATS contract, this facility was no longer possible and (much to my regret) there is thus no 'need' to link the college with an airfield.

[spekesoftly]

Yes, we were spoilt! Plentiful accommodation in the Bournemouth area, and no parking issues at CATC. Time spent at Cranebank on the Trident simulators, followed by a day at Heathrow shadowing Trident aircrew including two flight deck trips. Flying training on light aircraft at various airfields throughout the UK, and then financial assistance to maintain a PPL.

And RAF Shawbury used to have its own squadron of Vampires, then Jet Provosts, for live ATCO training ......

[DC10RealMan]

I know that we "retired old farts" probably think that we had the best of times but in the 1970s-1980s we certainly did with fam flights, liaision visits, no security "issues", flying training, feeling part of one team, and the accountants were kept safely in a box where they could not inflict any damage.
When I read of some of the issues that face existing nats employees or working people generally today I am so glad that I decided to retire early.
I suppose that the fact that "I could not be arsed anymore" helped with that decision.

[beaver liquor]

The college peeps will actually be ok as their working day will start at 8.

Its the folk who arrive after 0800 who will get squeezed for spaces.

SLAM will be ok as they have reserved parking spaces....

I noted today that the empty site next door to CTC is having tarmac laid down - overflow provision?

Oddly enough, its actually the existing CTC workforce who will have difficulties

[BDiONU]

Originally Posted by beaver liquor

I noted today that the empty site next door to CTC is having tarmac laid down - overflow provision?

Nope I believe another office block going up there, NATS declined the offer some years ago. Part of the lack of parking space problem is due to Winchester Council who only permit sufficient spaces for 70% of the staff who work there (hence the roads being choked with cars parked either side). The intent being pour encourager les autres to use public transport. Since public transport is virtually non existent to Whiteley that's not really feasible.

BD