Overview of Student Accommodation
This CIS Report on the Student Accommodation investigates the planning and construction volumes to assess the performance in the Student Accommodation sector in Ireland. To gain a more accurate understanding of the delivery, this article analyses both the regional distribution of projects and output in terms of the number of bedspaces. Despite the number of student housing projects remaining constant, CIS has noted that there are significant variations in their size, scale and capacity to accommodate students which affects the success and activity levels of this sector.
Planning Pipeline (All Ireland)
In 2022, so far there was a total of 3,012 Student beds submitted for planning across Ireland. This is a 18.8% decrease from the 3,710 Student Beds were submitted in 2021, which indicates a slowdown in the planning pipeline. Evidently, the Eastern & Midland Regions have experienced the most planning activity. In comparison, the Northern and Western Regions had the fewest student bedspaces submitted across the region of Ireland. However, there is a slight improvement with an additional 354 beds submitted in 2022 in the Northern & Western Counties. It is hoped that the overall bedspace supply submitted in Q4 2022 will offset this decline as the end of the year approaches.
Construction Pipeline (All Ireland)
CIS has observed that the number of onsite student housing projects has remained stable, indicating consistent building performance, which is positive news for the market. This year, CIS identified a total of 2414 Student beds that started onsite across Ireland. This is an 87.1% increase compared to the previous year’s total of 1,290 student beds commencing onsite. The Southern Region of Ireland had the most consistent output overall. The number of bedspaces starting on site has increased sharply in the Eastern and Midland Regions but has decreased sharply in the Northern and Western Regions. It is hoped that this significant boost in construction activity will continue into 2023.
Snapshot of Dublin
In this Info-card, CIS provides a detailed overview of Student Accommodation in Dublin. According to our database, the Capital has 31 active projects with a total of 11,094 Bedspaces at various stages. A breakdown of the public and private sectoral supply provides a clearer picture of the delivery pipeline from planning to completion. CIS predicts that there will be a sharp decline in Student Accommodation in the Capital next year, with a total of 368 bedspaces confirmed to start onsite in 2023. This represents an 84.3% decrease from the 2,357 expected to be completed in 2022. It is important to note, however, that there are 18 projects with 6,036 bedspaces in the planning pipeline with construction schedules that have yet to be determined, which may boost activity in 2023 / 2024.
Conclusion
Despite a stable flow of Student Accommodation Projects, CIS observed a significant variance in the number of total beds across the region of Ireland between the years of 2020 to 2022. Analysis of planning and construction volumes is required to gain a clear picture of the sector’s performance, but bedspace output also needs to be measured to understand capacity. Student housing is in high demand but in short supply, which is causing growing concerns among Ireland’s student population. Without a sustained secure supply, students may face adversities such as massive rent increases, inadequate housing or unsuitable living arrangements. A strong bedspace supply from third-level institutions would be ideal for securing the student population of Ireland in meeting their academic goals.
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