The Limerick City and County Council (LCCC) has passed a motion proposed by the Technological University of the Shannon Student Union (TUSSU), which sought to declare the student housing situation in Limerick an emergency and to create a student housing taskforce in collaboration with the union. The motion highlights the struggles of students looking for accommodation in the area.
As in most of the country, the student housing crisis in Limerick has become increasingly acute. An official statement by TUSSU describes students having to sleep in their cars, sharing a two-bedroom-house with 17 other students, and being exploited by their landlords. Some students fail to find any accommodation at all. Emma Hogan, Vice President for Education and Welfare at the Limerick School of Art and Design for TUSSU, said that “some students are left driving over three hours to reach their campus. This should not be what is expected or normalised for students to access Higher Education”
Students at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) have to rely entirely on privately owned accommodation, due to the lack of a legal framework to allow the student union to develop housing. This can be seen as a key reason for the severity of the student housing crisis in the area.
The passed motion promises to establish a new student housing taskforce, which is intended for “identifying council-owned or privately owned land suitable for student housing”, as well as for “exploring opportunities for cost-rental, or co-operative models of development”, and “removing planning or zoning barriers where appropriate for the construction of student housing”. This taskforce will be established in partnership with TUSSU.
Commenting on the passing of the motion, Gearóid Folan, TUSSU deputy President, warned that “without follow up action this will just be a performative action”, adding that “if we don’t see this change we will see this vibrant student city suffer greatly both economically and culturally”.
Shane Hickey-O’Mara, the Social Democrats Councillor for Limerick City North, spoke in support of this motion, stating that “declaring a Student Housing Emergency and agreeing to convene a taskforce is a first step in improving the lives of the over 30,000 students studying in our city.”
