Developers Highlight the Need For More Student Accommodation in Glasgow to Avoid Housing Crisis

Developers in Glasgow have warned that many students will need help finding a place to stay in the city due to the lack of purpose-built accommodation.

The number of students studying in Glasgow is already high, with four students for every bed, and projections indicate that the number may increase even more to 1.75 million, Glasgow Live, the newspaper covering the city, has reported.

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, home to the top three universities, such as the University of Glasgow, the University of Strathclyde, and Glasgow Caledonian University, which every year host thousands of students.

According to figures released by Cooper Cromar, an architectural practice that designs and builds, among others, education facilities, there are 77,640 domestic students and 25,735 international students pursuing full-time studies at one of the city's universities. The same reports that the number of students in the city has increased by 12.3 percent since 2017.

"Glasgow is unable to accommodate its current student population. The city will be under greater pressure if student numbers continue to grow," developers highlighted in their proposal.

Last year, the University of Glasgow, one of the most popular universities in the city, called to restrict student numbers due to the lack of accommodation. The school said that a large number of students, which increased by 40 percent in five years, harms the quality of education.

"The rapid increase in numbers over the last few years has put students in unsuitable housing conditions, made it difficult for them to access wellbeing resources they need, and negatively impacted the quality of learning and teaching," President of the University of Glasgow Students' Representative Council, Rinna Väre told BBC.

According to the National Records of Scotland (NRS), a non-ministerial department within the Scottish government, the total population of Glasgow in June 2021 was 635,130. That year, more females than males were living in the city, 50.8 percent and 49.2 percent, respectively.

The same points out that the city's population is expected to increase by 2.9 percent between 2018 and 2028, from 626,410 to 644,274.

Earlier this year, the Government of Ireland said it would invest up to €41 million to build 405 student beds at Dublin City University, which will be added to the 667 new beds that the government approved in November 2021.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science, Simon Harris said that investment in student beds means more students will be able to access accommodation and eases pressure on the housing market.

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