Yesterday, James Lawless, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, announced his support for 358 additional student beds in Dartry – a considerable expansion of Trinity Hall, which currently houses around 1,000 students. Trinity has reached a new milestone in its proposed student accommodation.
Vice-Provost and Chief Academic Officer Professor Orla Sheils commented that the government’s confirmation of support “marks a major development for Trinity and for our students”, adding that “increasing our student accommodation capacity in Dartry has long been an important objective for the university”.
Expanding Trinity Hall has been a project long in the making. The university first received planning permission in 2020, but permission was overruled in 2021, after a resident challenged the decision in the High Court. In 2022, the university re-lodged its plans to fast-track new accommodation.
Despite new planning permission being granted, the project was stalled. Last year, Trinity cited high construction costs as the main reason for delaying progress. Other universities similarly reported difficulties in securing the funding required to start building new accommodation while still being able to offer units at affordable rates to students.
As part of yesterday’s announcement, Trinity’s proposed accommodation will be supported by the Government’s Short-Term Activation Programme, a scheme allocated €110 million by the National Development Plan, which aims to provide funds to student accommodation projects that have received planning permission but are unable to proceed further. Under the scheme, Maynooth University has provided 116 new student beds, and UCD is currently constructing another 493 beds. The Short-Term Activation Programme is part of a greater government strategy first laid out in 2022 to increase the supply of purpose-built student accommodation.
Earlier this year, Minister Lawless revealed a National Student Accommodation strategy to deliver 42,000 new student beds by 2035.
The development in Trinity’s plans to expand its accommodation comes at a time of acute pressure. 358 additional beds mark a relative increase in student housing capacity but pales in comparison to the 3,258 students denied accommodation in this year’s cycle, as reported by the University Times earlier this year.
Dublin’s housing crisis has made the private rental market notoriously difficult for these students to navigate, being both scarce and increasingly unaffordable. In addition to supporting the building costs of new student accommodation projects, the Short-Term Activation scheme promises that 30% of new beds are offered at rents 30% below market rates for 30 years, with beds reserved for priority students outlined in the National Access Plan.
While the project has been approved for financial backing from the Irish Government, it must also be approved by Trinity’s Finance Committee and Board before proceeding. Thus, no timeline for the project has been announced.
