Government on track to deliver 21,000 purpose built student accommodation units by 2024.
The Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, the Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, and the Minister of State with special responsibility for Housing and Urban Development, Damien English, today released the end Q1, 2018 progress report on the National Student Accommodation Strategy.
The National Student Accommodation Strategy (NSAS) is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of student accommodation and increase the take-up of digs accommodation.
The Government set a target to build an extra 7,000 bed spaces by the end 2019 and a total of 21,000 additional beds by 2024. We are currently on track to meet, if not exceed, this target.
As of the end Q1 2018:
- 2,687 purpose built student accommodation bed spaces had been completed.
- 5,842 further bed spaces were under construction.
- 8,636 additional bed spaces had planning permission granted.
- 917 were at the planning permission application stage.
These projects combine to a total of 18,082 purpose built student accommodation bed spaces. 5,260 of these will be complete, or are due for completion, by the end of 2018.
Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, said,
“Ensuring there is sufficient accommodation for our third level students is an important priority for this government. The growth of the student accommodation sector not only delivers benefits to higher education institutions in attracting and retaining students, but also plays an important part in addressing the national accommodation shortage.
“My Department will continue to work with colleagues in the Department of Housing, the Union of Students in Ireland, the HEIs and industry to ensure that suitable accommodation is delivered and that blockages in the system are reduced insofar as possible.”
Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, said,
“We face continued growth in student numbers at third level and we need to ensure that availability of accommodation is not seen as a barrier to accessing education.
“It is heartening to see that the public and private sectors can work together to deliver badly needed student accommodation. I have turned the sod myself on projects where I can see the ability of purpose built student accommodation to add to the rejuvenation of areas. It is important that we ensure that not only are students seen as part of a thriving local community, but that students themselves value their membership of that community.”
Minister of State Damien English, said,
“I am delighted to see that there is a strong pipeline of student accommodation projects moving through the planning system and onwards to constructed and occupied developments. I am confident that the recent reforms undertaken to our planning system including the fast-track planning procedure to An Bord Pleanála for student accommodation projects and the availability of development finance through the Housing Agency will continue to assist in future growth. Importantly, the provision of these new dedicated student developments will have the effect of increasing the availability of accommodation in the wider rental sector.”