Nearly 200 students have been delayed moving into new student accommodation in Dublin city as the housing was not ready on time due to “supply chain issues”, according to the developer behind the project.
Brewers Close, new purpose-built student housing located on Mill Street, Dublin 8, has had to put some students up in alternative accommodation due to delays opening the housing.
The project, developed by Global Student Accommodation (GSA) and operated by student housing provider Yugo, had to push the opening of the accommodation back to September 9th.
In a statement, GSA said the company and its partner Yugo “have had supply chain issues and working practices following the Covid-19 pandemic”, which had delayed opening the accommodation.
“In relation to students impacted by the postponed opening date, 194 students have either chosen to move to a new licence with a move-in date of September 9th or are being housed in alternative accommodation,” the statement said.
Stalled date
It added the company was “reliant on many elements that can impact an opening date”. The fact that the student housing would still be open before the start of the new college year was “testament to the hard work of everyone involved”, it said.
Students had been informed earlier this month that the accommodation would not be ready to open until September 9th.
“They were provided with the option of moving to a shorter licence length with this later move-in date, which still ensures they are able to move into Brewers Close in time for the start of the academic year,” the company said.
“We’re aware that in some cases moving their arrival date is not possible and for those students we are offering alternative accommodation solutions in Dublin,” it said.
Construction delays related to the Covid-19 pandemic have held up other student housing projects from opening on time for the coming college year.
Scrambling for alternatives
More than 350 students due to move into Ardee Point, newly built student accommodation in Dublin 8 near St Patrick’s Cathedral, were similarly told the housing would not be ready to move into as planned at the end of August.
The student accommodation, run by provider Nido, is not expected to be ready until October 1st, leaving hundreds of students scrambling to find alternative housing for the month of September.
Students were informed of the delayed opening of the accommodation earlier this month. “Without the necessary building certification, we simply cannot open the building legally and safely,” Nido told students in an email seen by The Irish Times.
The company said due to the delayed opening it was waiving rent until the end of next January for students staying in Ardee Point for the year, or four weeks’ rent for those staying for one semester. Alternatively, Nido said students could cancel their contracts and would not lose their deposits.
