Dublin City University (DCU) is planning a major extension to its student accommodation, with the addition of 1,240 beds.
The Irish Independent today reported that DCU is to demolish an existing 252-bed complex and create 213 “cluster units” in its place to meet the needs of its 17,000-strong student population.
Each cluster unit has either five or six bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, as well as a shared living and kitchen space,social spaces, a retail area and offices.
The number of students attending DCU doubled between 2014 and 2017 to over 17,000 students.
Speaking to the Independent, a spokesperson for the university said: “DCU is very conscious that there is a need not just for additional student accommodation but affordable accommodation.”
Noel Rock, a Fine Gael TD for the Dublin North West constituency and chairperson of the Oireachtas Housing Committee, told the Independent: “This is a big development that will go a long way to resolving issues of traffic and parking from students in the surrounding area.”
“It’s good news for DCU, the local area, and the students of tomorrow”, he said.
The project will be funded by a loan taken out by the college.
DCU’s plans come amid a severe shortage of affordable student accommodation in Dublin. Earlier this year, The University Times reported that 93 per cent of student accommodation built in Dublin since 2016 costs €800 per month or more.
In 2018, DCU students staged protests over €1,000 rent increases for three privately-owned accommodation complexes near the college’s Glasnevin campus.
Speaking to Hot Press magazine today, Lorna Fitzpatrick, the president of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), said: “There’s loads of property being built around Dublin which is for students, but it’s not what students want. It’s not affordable. A lot of them have bowling alleys, cinemas – but nobody wants them, nor can they afford them.”
At the beginning of this month, the Independent reported that every college in the country had increased the price of its student housing this year.
