Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 March 2025
419. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the plans that have been made to progress student accommodation on or near University College Dublin and the Belfield campus. [14879/25]
View answerMy Department is progressing both short and longer term student accommodation policy responses under the Housing for All plan.
A capital investment of €100m from the National Development Plan windfall allocation has enabled the progression of new purpose-built student accommodation beds through the Department’s Short-Term Activation Plan.
This funding enabled activation of University College Dublin (UCD) student accommodation project for delivery of 493 beds. Construction is planned to commence on this project in 2025 subject to successful completion of due diligence assessments and the tender process.
Under this measure funding is provided to higher education institutions to activate projects with planning permission that had stalled due to cost viability challenges.
A percentage of the new beds will be ringfenced for target group students at below market rates. The target group are those considered most disadvantaged by the SUSI, NAP and DARE schemes.
A new student accommodation strategy is in development following approval of the long-term policy in January 2024. The objective of the new Strategy is to increase the supply of state supported student accommodation, reduce the cost of delivery by developing standardised design guidance, promote efficient use of existing building stock through refurbishment and an examination of vacancy, while supporting balanced regional development by designing a Technological University Student Accommodation Programme.
The output from the Standardised Design Study and the Technological University Student Accommodation Programme will provide a framework of delivery models and funding options to inform the new Strategy and are expected in early 2025. I intend on submitting the Strategy to Government in Q2 2025.
