[HDNG]IN COLLEGE:[EHDNG][PARA][GRPH]A2[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Self-catering: 10% [BULL] Cost: ú25-45 (52wks)[ESTAT][PARA][BOLD]Availability:[EBOLD] There are 3 developments, with a total of 1,275 [PARA]places. Students are accommodated at Woodlands (overlooking[PARA]West Ham tube station) and Park Village (next to an international[PARA]freight terminal) each about 20mins walk from the Stratford site[ITAL]. [EITAL][PARA]There are 508 places on the Barking site, which includes some [PARA]purpose-built rooms for disbaled students. Kitchens are shared [PARA]between 6 people.[PARA][BOLD]Car parking: [EBOLD]It's far enough from central London to be free and [PARA]adequate, although a permit is needed.[HDNG]EXTERNALLY:[EHDNG][PARA][GRPH]A3[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Ave rent: ú60[ESTAT][PARA]London Transport (buses, tube and trains) splits the city into [PARA]several 'zones' which are concentric circles from the centre. [PARA]Zone 1, for example, is the area within a radius of about 21/2 [PARA]miles of Trafalgar Square. Zone 2 is the next 3 miles and so on. [PARA]Obviously, rents get cheaper in the outer zones, but then travel [PARA]costs to the centre go up accordingly.[ITAL] [EITAL]Travel costs should be [PARA]taken into consideration when looking at rents because a [PARA]Travelcard from Zone 3 to the centre costs more than ú15 a week.[PARA][BOLD]Availability:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Contrary to popular belief, it's really not that difficult to[PARA]find accommodation in London, just buy a copy of the Evening [PARA]Standard and there are hundreds of places. It is however a [PARA]challenge of epic proportions to find anywhere that is both [PARA]affordable and inhabitable. There's very little housing in Zone 1 [PARA]even for yuppies, and students come a lot lower in the pecking [PARA]order. Zone 2 is a bit better, particularly for single rooms in [PARA]shared flats or houses in places like Wandsworth, Putney and [PARA]Fulham and wherever the tube system is lacking. Zone 3 is [PARA]relatively promising, but the catch is that it can take upwards of [PARA]an hour to get to the centre. Zone 4 and beyond are not popular [PARA]for the same reason, but, as they say, homeless students can't [PARA]be choosers. Although there are many thousands of people [PARA]living, quite literally, in cardboard boxes on London's streets, they [PARA]aren't students. In fact, many students manage to find very [PARA]comfortable flats for almost reasonable rents. There is also a [PARA]growing number living in squats. To be safe, students coming to [PARA]London should work out where they're going to stay first.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][GRPH]A3[EGRPH][STAT][BULL] Ave rent: ú40[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Availability:[EBOLD] Most students are mature and have their own homes [PARA]already sorted. East London is cheaper than many other parts of[PARA]the capital and at UEL, it's possible to live quite far out (and so [PARA]more cheaply) and still be right on the doorstep. 150 places at the [PARA]local YMCA are usually reserved for students. [ITAL]Stratford itself is [PARA]a likely locale, as are Leyton, Forest Gate and East Ham. Also [PARA]Leytonstone and Walthamstow, but they're quite a trek. [EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Housing help:[EBOLD] There are 2 accommodation services, 1 at each [PARA]site, which between them employ 1 full time and 3 part time staff [PARA]and several computers. They provide vacancies boards and newsletters.[PARA][PARA]
