In a shakeup to the overcrowded accommodation faced by students up and down the country, a student accommodation block on Copley Street in Cork City Centre is to be upgraded by the Irish company Hatch Student Living who are investing in the accommodation.
Costing over €25 million, the upgrade will double the bed numbers to over 250 which will accommodate a host of students struggling to find accommodation in the city. The investment package also includes a gym, laundry room, student spaces and communal lounges.
Hatch Student Living specialises in the renovation and refurbishment of older properties, predominantly in Carlow and Cork. The company is focused on providing additional accommodation to students living outside the Dublin region. Speaking to The Irish Times, Robert McNally, managing director, revealed that the company plans to introduce further student accommodation in Galway, Limerick and regional IT centres across the country:
Third-level student enrolment numbers in Ireland have grown steadily and we see opportunities to provide high-quality accommodation to students by bringing existing student accommodation blocks up to modern standards and increasing bed numbers.
At the moment students in CIT and UCC are using popular accommodation spots like Parchment Square (CIT) and Victoria Mills (UCC). Although it's unclear about how much the bedroom will cost to rent, students are being faced with €900 a month rental charges as it is in some Cork accommodation so fingers crossed for a competitive price.
