StudentAccomodation         bbermingham@corkcity.ie    www.bbermingham.com

Request the Manager to enumerate the dedicated Student Apartments Blocks in the following format, from the earliest to current planning applications? Apt Name; Date Opened...planning permission. No. Apt - No. Students -  No. Parking Spaces - Location
(Cllr. Brian Bermingham)

The term "Student Apartments" derives not from planning legislation but rather from tax law.

Section 50 of the Finance Act, 1999 provides for a scheme of tax relief for rented residential accommodation for third level students. The relief is along the lines of  what is commonly referred to as section 23 relief. The Government attaches significance to this initiative, the purpose of which is the provision of additional rented accommodation to relieve current supply pressures in the private rented sector.

Relevant guidelines have been issued by the Minister for Education and Science. Planning Authorities are asked to have regard to these guidelines in assessing applications received on or after 1" April 1999.

Properties qualifying for relief under the scheme should be located within qualifying areas. For the purposes the scheme qualifying areas are:

Campus areas of the educational institutions, or

Areas, within an 8km radius of the main campus, which are approved by the certifying educational institution as being an area within which a qualifying development may take place.

It is not possible to provide the information in the format requested, however a list of those granted over the past three years can be compiled and will be tabled at the earliest opportunity.

Student Apartments are not a separate category under planning legislation but fall into the category of a house. In the Planning and Development Act 2000 "house means a building or part of a building which is being or has been occupied as a dwelling or was provided for as a dwelling but has not been occupied, and where appropriate, includes a building which was designed for use as 2 or more dwellings or a flat, an apartment or other dwelling within such a building.

The issue of student accommodation is one which is addressed in the draft Cork City Development Plan 2003. With two principal third level colleges in Cork City, UCC and CIT, along with a number of VEC and privately operated colleges, the demand for student accommodation is significant. In the academic year 2000-2001 there were at least 23,285 full time students attending colleges in Cork City, half of which lived in privately rented accommodation. Figures from the Joint Housing Strategy indicate that there are only 1,470 bed spaces available in student apartment complexes in the city and that the majority of students live in privately rented accommodation. Managed Student apartment complexes on or adjacent to campus or which have convenient access to the Third Level Colleges are a preferable form of student housing. It is noted that research carried out by UCC indicates that there is a serious shortage of suitable accommodation for students with disabilities. This issue needs to be considered in assessing all student accommodation proposals in a manner compatible with surrounding residential amenities.

Four specific policies are set out in the draft plan in relation to student accommodation as follows:

Policy H23 Provision of Student Accommodation

To facilitate student' accommodation on campuses or in locations which have convenient acces to the Third level Colleges (particularly by foot bicycle and high quality and convenient public transport such as 'Green Routes'), in manner compatible with surrounding residential amenities.

Policy H24 Change of Use of Student Accommodation

To attach a condition to all permissions for student accommodation, which requires that change of use from student accommodation to any other type of accommodation shall require planning permission. In general such applications for change of use shall be resisted unless it can be adequately shown that an over provision of student accommodation exists in the city.

Policy H25 Guidelines for Student Accommodation

To apply the 'Guidelines on Residential Developments for Third Level Students' particularly as they relate to location and design to all planning applications for student accommodations.'

Policy H26 Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

To promote the provision of adequate accommodation for students with disabilities.

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