‘Urgent need’ for local student accommodation

by Paul McElwee

THE president of Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Donegal Students’ Union has said that there is an “urgent need” for student accommodation as the new term looms ever closer.

Kevin Sweeney has impressed the need for more available rooms for new students who will be attending ATU in the new term.

Speaking to the Donegal News, a concerned Mr Sweeney there is a “massive lack of accommodation” due to the housing crisis and landlords pulling their properties from the student market.

“The surrounding area has a massive lack of accommodation and this is a problem we face year on year. With CAO offers arriving soon, there will be a clamour for students looking to attend out Letterkenny and Killybegs campuses to find a place to stay.

“It is a challenging time for us, with students and parents calling us to try and find a place. We have seen quite a few landlords pull their houses from the list which, along with the Ukrainian crisis, has had a detrimental effect on the amount of accommodation available. Another problem is returning students who have already secured their accommodation from previous years, which means that apartments which would have been previously available are all booked up.”

“We are putting out a call for anyone who has a house, apartment, room or even a flat share to come to us at ATU and register their interest in letting incoming students stay. I would hope that the Rent-A-Room Relief Scheme, where a landlord can earn fourteen thousand euro tax-free just by letting their room out.”

ATU has a student faculty of 3,000, and Kevin expects well over 1,000 first-time students from all over the world and Ireland, all of whom will be seeking accommodation. He fears that student intake may be affected by the housing crisis.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if student intake will be affected. As I’ve said, we have students from all over who will undoubtedly be in touch looking for help in this situation. It might sway their decision whether to come here if they can’t get a place to sleep.

“I’m not just talking about international students, but students form the likes of Sligo, Derry and Leitrim. No accommodation means having to travel in from home every day which, in turn, means an increase in traffic. Plus, constant travelling doesn’t help student concentration throughout the day.”

Taoiseach Simon Harris, when he was Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, visited ATU in January and expressed optimism about developing student accommodation in the county. But this optimism is not shared by Kevin.

“I haven’t heard a thing since the Taoiseach made that statement. If it does happen, it’ll be a bit of a ways off; we need accommodation yesterday,” he said.

Anyone wishing to register their interest in being a student landlord is urged to contact ATU Welfare and Equality Officer Aine Hatzer on suwelfare.donegal@atu.ie or call 074 9186826.

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