'The greed is sickening': Calls made to declare student housing emergency in Limerick

URGENT calls have been made for a student housing emergency to be declared in Limerick as the number of third-level students is set to increase dramatically over the next six years.

At a meeting of the Home and Social Development Strategic Policy Committee, the local authority was also asked to progress the establishment of a designated student accommodation taskforce.

Currently, there are around 30,000 third-level students in Limerick city and that figure is expected to increase by around 5,000 by the 2030/2031 academic year.

Cllr Shane Hickey O'Mara, who put forward the motion, highlighted the problems facing third-level students amid the shortage of accommodation. The main objectives of the motion, he said, would be the (formal) acknowledgement of the acute shortage of affordable and suitable accommodation for third-level students and identifying lands which are suitable for student housing developments.

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The meeting heard a number of areas have already been identified by the council including at the former Dunnes Stores at Sarsfield Street, the Sexton District (city centre) and Groody Valley. The possibility of a joint venture with TUS may also see student accommodation being provided in Moyross.

As of February 2025, planning permission had been granted for almost 800 new student bedspaces within the city and suburbs but the timeline for their delivery is uncertain and even when completed they will not satisfy demand.

Citing the spiralling cost of renting student accommodation, Cllr Hickey O'Mara said "the greed is sickening" and he noted in some cases the costs have doubled in recent years.

"Students are talking about where they are going to emigrate to during their lunch breaks," he said adding that he recently spoke to one student who informed him they will have to drop out at the end of the year "purely as a result of accommodation costs".

It was noted that planning permission was recently granted for a new large-scale residential development at Groody Road but James Hayes from the Affordable Housing Team conceded the additional 1,400 student bedspaces will not be sufficient to satisfy the current needs. 

Mr Hayes said current forecasts suggest up to 49,000 additional students will enrol in third-level institutions nationally over the next five years, including between 4,660 and 5,770 in Limerick.

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"We note that in 2023 there were only 5,500 purpose-built student accommodation bedspaces in Limerick. This indicates that only 18% of students studying in Limerick resided in local, purpose-built accommodation, with the majority studying in Limerick residing in family homes, host families or commuting from outside the city," he stated.

Cllr Maria Donoghue expressed her support for the motion commenting it was timely: "It's a really good motion that would alleviate so many issues. 5% of housing projects in Limerick can be dedicated to student housing, it should be acted upon sooner rather than later". 

While supporting the principle of the motion, Cllr Sharon Benson expressed concerns that it might be abused by private landowners: "If we give public-owned land to private developers for new student accommodation then they could rip the students off when it comes to the pricing of these properties." 

Limerick City and County Council says any declaration of a student housing emergency is a matter for elected members but that it is already working to address the shortage.

Sarah Newell A/Director of Service confirmed expressions of interest are to be sought in the coming weeks regarding the potential development of purpose-built student accommodation on council-owned lands.