‘Courtyard’, the infamous intersection of breathadom between three Castle St flats, will allegedly soon be split with a fence. Breathas and sheathas alike are biting their nails at the impact the change may have on their beloved stomping ground for all manner of occasions: parties and sun beers included. Do landlords even get the point of Castle St?
Rumours are flying at the supposed “gentrification” of Studentville. The news follows confirmation that Big Red’s outdoor area will also be fenced off, dividing what was once an 18-person complex into three segregated groups of six. Residents have told Critic the change would “ruin the culture of Courtyard” as the three Courtyard flats traditionally sign on together to reap the shared benefits of the space.
Tara* (one Courtyard resident) was a bit miffed at the news. “Every party is pretty tame here,” she said, explaining that every party thrown in the area is above board with the campus authorities: the Proctor and Police. She worried that to erect a fence would “cause a lot of issues” – and that it was also lowkey giving Trump energy. Another resident, Jasmine* said that it could only be a divisive move, both physically and metaphorically: “You wouldn’t want to sign with all your friends if there was a huge fence in the middle.”
The girls worried especially about the impact that the renos would have on events such as the renowned annual Castle St hosts, such as ‘Courtchella’ and ‘Back to School’ parties. “The Proctor is aware of all this. You wouldn't be able to have things like that if you separated it,” said Tara. Seems Critic Te Ārohi isn’t the only one salty at the lack of invite.
When it comes to Castle St’s rumoured gentrification – including Big Red’s upcoming fresh coat of different coloured paint that could undermine the flat’s street cred – Tara said, “I understand where they are coming from with making all these rules and ideas but […] people just get aggravated by all the things that are happening. People do come down to Dunedin a little bit for the fun Castle St things like that […] if you change all that up, people probably are less likely to come down, and it's just less fun. It's such a fun year of your life.”
Deathstar, the notorious Castle St breatha den and “cement shoebox with smashed windows and mould on most surfaces,” as Critic wrote in 2022 (proudly winning runner-up for the worst Dunedin flat), has been no stranger to these changes. Over summer, a big fuck-off concrete wall was built by the flat’s landlord to separate Deathstar from Brotown and Tunnel. This is unconfirmed by Deathstar’s landlord, who did not respond to Critic’s request for comment in time for print.
Prior to the wall’s establishment, residents of Castle and Leith were known to gleefully flit between the streets at their whim. The loss of this wasn’t received well. Tunnel resident Harry* said, “I reckon it's pretty bullshit.” Deathstar resident Liam* added, “It keeps people out of the alleyway, which is good. But it's pretty inconvenient [...] We’ve got all our mates around there and having to jump it is pretty annoying.” Every resident in the area who Critic asked about the wall said that they knew someone who had been injured while jumping it.
One bloke neighbouring Courtyard summed up the whole Walls v Studentville issue by saying: “It’s a bit stink.” Harry said, “Especially at Courtyard, splitting all the flats up will make a big difference.” Liam* argued that the landlord fence culture “just ruins the fun for people who want the whole complex and want to build relationships with each other.”
Although residents argue that Castle St culture will not be affected by these changes (nobly standing steadfast in the face of adversity sorta vibes) it remains to be seen what the long-term consequences of landlord action will be.
*Names changed.