Every year, The SU works with the University Executive Board on our top 10 priorities. Over the past several years, the redevelopment of the SULIS building has repeatedly been identified as a priority as the building is unusable in its current state. Changing rooms, sanitary facilities, and clean water are essential for safe sporting activity.
The University Executive Board provided The SU with the following information related to this priority: “[The] University Executive Board made the difficult decision not to proceed with the refurbishment of the Sulis Club changing rooms. Since the project received approval in 2023, estimated costs have risen significantly. Even a reduced scope of work was costed at c£1.7M to refurbish 4 changing rooms and prepare for the installation of a climbing centre.”
The SU is deeply disappointed by the University’s decision to reject the long-standing proposal for the development of changing rooms and a climbing centre at the SULIS pitches.
This project has been under discussion for a significant period and was designed to replace outdated and unusable changing facilities — a well-documented issue that has directly affected the student sporting experience at SULIS. The development was not a luxury, but a long-overdue necessity.
Over a year ago, the University allocated considerable financial resources to remove asbestos from the old changing room building — a move that we believed signalled a shared commitment to this much-needed development. Since then, extensive time and effort has gone into planning and preparing for the project, including sourcing contractors and building a viable plan. This makes the decision to halt the project at this stage even more disheartening.
The University Executive Board provided further comment on the matter, stating: “[The] University Executive Board did not take this decision lightly but did so in the context of a very challenging financial situation across the Higher Education sector. As you’ll be aware, Office for Students (OfS) expects nearly three-quarters (72%) of universities may be in deficit by 2025-26, with many universities making extremely difficult financial cuts. Here at Bath, we are not immune to these financial pressures and although we are in a healthier position than some, we need to be more fiscally prudent than ever. At a time when we are asking all departments to reduce their future budgets and in the face of pressing needs to invest in both physical and digital infrastructure to support our education and research, this project no longer represented a responsible investment.”
Though we understand the financial difficulties at the University and within the sector, as the guardians of the student experience at Bath, we are disappointed that the Executive has not prioritised what students expect from an elite sports university.
We want to be clear: the responsibility for this decision lies with the University. SU Sport is now working closely with TeamBath to identify and implement mitigating actions — but these will be reactive and limited in what they can achieve.
This decision will have real and lasting consequences. With nearly 7,000 student members — around one-third of the student body — our sports provision is an important part of student life. The addition of proper changing facilities and a climbing centre, especially alongside the incoming new 3G pitch, was necessary to deliver both recreational and competitive sport at Bath.
We are conscious this decision will impact BUCS teams, which require adequate on-site changing facilities to meet competition standards. Without these, we will fall short and be forced to withdraw teams. This is not the standard students at Bath should have to settle for.
To the clubs directly affected: we will be reaching out over the coming days to discuss what this means for you and how we can support you. But we must be honest — we will not be able to eliminate all the impacts of this decision. Some consequences will be unavoidable, and the student sporting experience will suffer.
We share your frustration and disappointment, and we encourage all our members to make their voices heard by e-mailing me at susport@bath.ac.uk to ensure sports are prioritised in the future.
Here at The SU, we consider the value placed on student experience to be the most important thing.
Thank you for your continued support for sport at Bath.
Olivia Warner, Sports Officer ‘24/’25 on behalf of The SU