The future of the University Centre is now uncertain, after the University’s policy-making board proposed to rescind its status as a central organisation for fellows and postgraduates.

The University Centre building, known to many as the site of the Cambridge Students’ Union (SU), is described by the University as “one of finest examples of brutalist architecture in Cambridge,” and occupies a prominent site in the centre of the city, alongside the River Cam.

Originally, the building was constructed in 1967 to provide a central home for postgraduate students and fellows who were not affiliated with a specific college. The building was originally home to meeting and conference rooms, as well as recreational facilities.

Prior to the Covid pandemic, the building had also hosted central catering facilities provided and subsidised by the university, which have since been moved to the West Hub. Additionally, the ground floor hosted a bar, which has now closed.

Nearly 60 years after its opening, the University Council has concluded that the 1960s building is in need of serious refurbishment, with its mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems “beyond end of life,” and needing to be replaced if the building is to continue to be used.

The expected cost of these repairs is further increased by the need to replace the current gas-fired boilers with environmentally friendly options. The University has previously committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2048.

Given these costs, the project is seen as being unaffordable for the next 10 to 15 years, by which time the building will be more than 70 years old, with key components long beyond their intended lifespan.

In 2024, the University conducted a consultation process to decide the future of the building, following its eventual redevelopment. As a result of this consultation, over 80% of respondents voted that the building should become a mixed use space, similar to the current West Hub building.

The West Hub opened in 2022 following a £40 million building project, and contains a shop, cafe, and a bar.

In the meantime, the University Council has proposed to make more active use of the building. The former bar area is to be assigned to the Newcomers and Visiting Scholars organisation, with other parts of the building being given over to an Occupational Health hub and IdeaSpace, which describes itself as a “community of founders and entrepreneurs”.

The plans seem to put and end to the prospect of the University Centre being used as a central social hub for students and staff, with no plans to reopen the bar or central catering facilities. The lack of a Students’ Union bar or venue for all University of Cambridge students has been a traditional complaint of students, with many college bars only being open to college members and their guests.

Concerns over the cost of the University Centre’s redevelopment come in an environment of cost-cutting by the University. The University had initially demanded that all departments make 5% cuts across the board, but the real terms reduction will now be higher than originally planned due to mistakes in the University’s calculation of inflation.

Despite this environment, the University has continued to champion investment in its STEM sector, with support from the UK government. The government has made the proposed “Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor” central to its plans for the economy, with East-West Rail between the two as the central feature.