Student accommodation up to €450 per week
The newly opened Novel Student Bottleworks in Carrigrohane is charging between €322 and €450 per week for shared and studio apartments, with its cheaper options already booked up for the upcoming academic year.
This means students taking the remaining rooms at the complex will be paying between €1,288 and €1,800 a month for accommodation.
According to figures released this year by Daft.ie, average general rent prices in Cork city rose by 7.9% in 2023, bringing the average Leeside rent to €1,907.
The opening of the new complex comes amidst an ongoing student accommodation crisis in Cork which has triggered a surge in purpose-built student apartment blocks.
Socialist Party Cllr Brian McCarthy said students in Cork are crying out for affordable accommodation. The Cork City North West councillor described the price tag of €450 as a “damning indictment of Government policy” and is calling for a response from the Government.
Cllr McCarthy said: “We have a massive student accommodation crisis in Cork. But the Government’s approach has been totally based on the private market which has led to a proliferation of this kind of luxury accommodation.
“I’d like to ask Micheál Martin and Michael McGrath if they think these prices are in reach of the average student or family,” he added.
Novel Student declined to comment on the issue.
Housing crisis impact on Ireland’s youth
Cllr O’Brien’s comments follow the publication of a new survey from the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) which examines the impact that the housing crisis is having on young people.
The report revealed that the most pressing concerns for young people in Ireland are housing and the cost of living, with 67% and 62%, respectively, citing these issues.
The study highlights that nearly half (48%) of young people are dissatisfied with their current housing situation. Additionally, 44% feel financially “worse off” than the previous year, and over one in five (22%) have “skipped meals due to cost”.
Cllr McCarthy continued: “Younger generations have been locked out under this Government - can’t afford to buy, can’t afford to rent and many forced to emigrate as they see no future for themselves in this country.”