Pleasance opening hours are to dramatically reduce from January 2012. Rooms at the Pleasance and the Pleasance Bar will open from 5pm on weekdays, 11am on Saturdays and 12pm on Sundays.

Phillipa Faulkner, Edinburgh University Students' Association (EUSA) Vice President of Services commented, “We have been reviewing the opening hours of our bars, retail and catering outlets in response to customer trends. The Pleasance bar is included in this”.

The closure is due to the limited use of Pleasance rooms during weekdays and little trade in the Pleasance Bar. The closure will affect societies with permanent rooms in Pleasance, and those currently using Pleasance rooms for meetings and rehearsals during the day.

Societies were given notice four days before the EUSA room block booking day that this change will be implemented. A number of societies queued outside Potterrow from 2am on Tuesday 22 November in order to block book rooms in EUSA buildings.

These societies camped from 2am until the doors were opened at 9am, and waited for booking to commence at the official start time of 12pm. This was due to the high demand for rooms available for societies’ use during term-time.

The number of societies who arrived well before the advised time was unexpected.

Emma Meehan, EUSA Vice President of Services and Activities said that, “on the days themselves, 58 societies came to block book. The first come, first served system operated throughout with all societies receiving a number and a callback at the relevant time”.

The system currently in place for block booking means that society office-bearers are advised to arrive at 12pm where they are given a ticket and will be seen, depending on their place in line, over the subsequent two days.

Meehan also said, “all changes to the bookings system from last year were made in consultation with societies using feedback from last year and consulting between EUSA staff and societies Exec”.