New strategy not aiding student housing, say universities
Student accommodation remains a major challenge for universities, despite a new Government strategy aimed at increasing supply.
Despite a new Government strategy aimed at increasing student housing, universities are struggling to find viable solutions. Declan Raftery, DCU's Chief Operations Officer, revealed that a planned 1,235 student beds project on the Glasnevin campus failed to become financially viable due to soaring construction and financing costs, exacerbated by the Covid pandemic and inflation.
The university scaled back the project to 405 beds but could not bridge the gap between construction costs, government support, and students' affordability. At the University of Limerick, 2,000 students face a waiting list for the 3,000 on-campus beds available, with 42% of students commuting and facing lengthy daily journeys and increased travel costs.
Both universities and private developers face construction and financing challenges, but students bear the brunt of these pressures. Technological University Dublin has no on-campus accommodation but plans to build 1,200-1,400 units at Grangegorman. Munster Technological University is progressing proposals for 950 beds at Bishopstown and 450 at its Kerry North campus.
While universities generally support the National Student Accommodation Strategy 2026-2035, which aims to deliver 42,000 additional student accommodation places by 2035, they caution that planning permission does not guarantee construction.
Written by urgent.news from RTE News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
