SIMON CLEAR & ASSOCIATES
PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
CONSULTANTS
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Student Accommodation Management Report

Dublin City Development Plan Compliance Report

for
Mixed – Use Student Accommodation Scheme
29b, 30 & 31 Prussia Street
Dublin 7

Simon Clear Associates

May 2020

3 TERENURE ROAD WEST,
TERENURE,
DUBLIN 6W
D6W YY79,
IRELAND.
Simon Clear B.A. Dip. T.P. MIPI
Darran Quaile B.A. MRUP MSc BLUP MIPI
Paula Shannon B.A. MRUP MIPI

Phone:
00-353-1-492 5934
Fax:
00-353-1-492 7617
E-mail: admin@clearconsult.ie
Web: www.clearconsult.ie
Vat No. 9803199H

 The Dublin City Development Plan 2016-22 (DCDP) outlines that all applications for
PBSA must be accompanied by:  Documentation outlining how the scheme will be professionally managed
including confirmation that all occupiers will be students registered with a thirdlevel institution;
 Outline of how the scheme will support integration with the local community,
through its design and layout;
 An appropriate management plan should include details in relation to:


the on-site management team;



the building and the location;



the local area;



the security and monitoring measures in place;



the ongoing monitoring and management of the building;



how anti-social behaviour will be dealt with;



integration with the community including community liaison.

This report has been prepared to accompany a planning application for purpose built
student accommodation (PBSA) for 296 no. bedspaces as part of a mixed use
development located adjacent to the TU Dublin 3rd Level campus at Grangegorman, to
address the requirements of the DCDP. The proposed PBSA development will be
professionally managed and all occupiers will be students registered with third-level
institutions, as defined in current planning legislation.

DCDP Policy
It is a policy of the Dublin City Development Plan 2016‐2022 to support the provision of
high‐quality,

professionally

managed

and

purpose

built

third‐level

student

accommodation on campuses or in appropriate locations close to the main campus, in the
inner city or adjacent to high‐quality public transport corridors and cycle routes, in a
manner which respects the residential amenity and character of the surrounding area, and
in order to support the knowledge economy.

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 Role of the Private Sector in PBSA
The pattern of development in Dublin city centre for PBSA in recent years is an asset
class that has attracted international professional investment and service providers into the
sector, providing excellent management abilities.

Generally, it is anticipated that student numbers will continue to increase in the coming
years and this will lead to an increase in demand for PBSA.
This demand has brought global student housing specialists to Dublin, with the world’s
leading global investors in PBSA investing heavily here. These providers also have
excellent expertise in management of PBSA facilities. A number of international players
with specialist experience have come to Ireland to build and operate sustainable student
housing accommodation.

A review of recent PBSA developments in Dublin City has found that:  Interviews with students residing in seven PBSA facilities across Dublin found
that 79% of those surveyed are international students;
 With regard to the impact of PBSA on the local community ‐PBSA has a positive
impact;
 In general it is considered that any negative impact associated with the rise in the
number of students in a particular area is outweighed by the positive impact
regarding expenditure, engagement and regeneration;
 PBSA developments have resulted in benefits to the local environment, including
the renewal of vacant and underutilised sites, the restoration and reuse of historic
buildings and increased pedestrian linkages;
 The majority of students in PBSA use local services and facilities regularly and
15% work or volunteer locally, which could be increased as these new facilities
become more established in their local area;
 As recognised in the planning policies of other international cities, a major
advantage of purpose built student accommodation is that that purpose‐built and
well managed schemes reduce potential issues such as antisocial behaviour,
compared to the widespread conversion of family housing into shared student
properties which are more difficult to manage;

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  The use of a criteria policy for PBSA developments, including topics such as
amenity, character, appearance and management, allows for consideration of
impacts on a site-by-site basis. This allows each case to be considered on its own
merit;
 By developing and utilising an appropriate Management Plan for PBSA, the
managers of PBSA can minimise any potential negative impacts from the PBSA
developments and their occupants on surrounding properties and neighbourhoods.
It also means that a positive and safe living environment can be created for
students as well as acting to develop and enhance the neighbourhoods in which
they are situated for the betterment of the whole community;
 There is a significant contribution to the economy of the local shops and services increased footfall and expenditure have led to the opening of new businesses in the
locality of PBSA;
 In general it is considered that any negative impact associated with the rise of the
number of students to a particular area is outweighed by the positive impact
regarding expenditure, engagement and regeneration.
 65% of all residents walk to college/university therefore, proximity is key from a

planning perspective.

Integration
The scheme has been purposely designed to support integration with the local community,
through its design and layout. The scheme provides an open pedestrian link on the west
side of the Grangegorman campus, to facilitate access to the amenities there for the
benefit of the entire community. A new shop/service unit is provided on the Prussia Street
frontage, where none exists at present.

The design of the new street ensures monitoring and safety for users from the
management suite and from the common areas with eyes onto the street. Communication
is facilitated at the management suite, which is staffed throughout the day into the
evening.

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 Management Principles
The high quality development is likely to attract student tenants who are seeking good
quality accommodation at attractive prices and are looking for a student experience living
with others. Key driver for choosing purpose built accommodation include:  Convenient access to the nearest 3rd-Level Institution;
 The quality of the accommodation and range of inclusive services;
 A positive and safe living environment created for students
 The visibility and accessibility of management, liaison and maintenance staff.

The behaviour of residents and their enjoyment of their stay will be influenced by the
quality and standard of their living environment and relationships established within the
premises. A clean, good quality, well maintained and safe environment engenders a real
sense of respect and appropriate behaviour. A flexible approach to sorting accommodation
arrangements within the scheme engenders a happy and respectful family atmosphere.

The scheme at Prussia Street is compact and seeks to ensure that a range of affordable
accommodation, with extensive inclusive services, are provided for a range of student
requirements and budgets, through the provision of various sizes of ensuite bedroom
accommodation in clusters.

There will be an on-site resident caretaker/manager for the facilities. The site will benefit
from a 24/7 management strategy, which would include a dedicated management presence
during the core times of Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Management presence will be
enhanced depending on needs, for example across the arrivals period the attendance times
would need to be extended. The local residents will have access to management should
there be any need to report antisocial behaviour adjacent to the scheme.

To maintain a good quality living environment, all communal areas of the building
including the common rooms and laundry will be cleaned regularly and monitored via
CCTV. The residents are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of their rooms and
kitchens and this is ensured through a program of flat inspections and advice from site
staff. Contracted staff for cleaning, will be employed from the local area.

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 Student Liaison Officers can be recruited from the student body, with a responsibility to
liaise between the students and the on site management. They are responsible for the
scheme’s social media, as well as developing the student experience and community
programme. Arranged meetings offer a chance for the students to meet each other and
form friendships outside their immediate block, or cluster and management facilitates
smoothing out personal preferences and arrangements where incompatibility might arise.

Each student will have to provide a guarantor to provide security for default, damage
and/or effects of behaviour, prior to occupation.

Refuse
Details of estimated waste generation from the proposed development are provided in the
Operational Waste Management Plan (OWMP) prepared by AWN. Table 4.1 of the
enclosed report estimates that the residential scheme will generate 19.37m 3 and the retail
unit will generate 0.97m3 of waste weekly.

Table 5.1 of the OWMP provides details of waste receptacles requirements for Mixed
Non-Recyclables (MNR), Dry Mixed Recyclables (DMR), organic waste and glass waste.
From this, it is derived that organic waste and glass waste will be collected on a weekly
basis, while DMR and MNR will be collected on a twice weekly basis.

For refuse collection the bins will be brought from the designated bin store within the
development to a collection point on Prussia Street by the waste contractor or facilities
management immediately prior to collection and will be promptly returned to the
designated bin store after collection.

Travel Management
The site is located well into the inner city, adjacent to the TU Dublin Grangegorman
Campus, an area well served by public transport including Luas, Dublin Bikes and a
walkable network of streets, with many local amenities. In general, throughout Dublin
PBSAs 65% of students walk to college. With a location on the western entrance into the
TU Dublin Grangegorman campus a significantly higher ratio of walking is anticipated.

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 Prussia Street is part of a designated Bus Connects corridor, having previously been
designated on the route of the Blanchardstown – UCD BRT scheme. In order to ensure a
car-free lifestyle for student residents at the outset, it is intended to provide students with
adequate, secure and monitored bike parking facilities; details of local public transport
services, timetables; Dublin Bike scheme etc and no on-site car parking, or expectation of
off-site car parking.

There will be a large provision of secure bicycle storage spaces for the student
accommodation. This storage will have secure access arrangements and CCTV coverage
to enhance levels of security and safety. This CCTV will be monitored and recorded from
the main management office.

Arrivals
Pre-arrival information packs will be distributed electronically to all prospective student
residents, including details of the site location and how the development is run, rules and
regulations and local information.

Not all student residents of PBSAs will arrive at one time. First year undergraduates tend
to arrive in September. Later year, Postgraduates and international students tend to
continue to arrive well into October. A significant percentage of residents may be
international students that are not car owners in Ireland.

It is not expected that all tenants will arrive on a single weekend. It will not be in the
interest of the building’s administration to have all students checking in for their rooms at
the same time. All prospective residents will be asked via media interaction to indicate
their date of arrival and specify a timeslot when they would prefer to check in, which will
be co-ordinated to avoid congestion.

Additional staffing support will be provided at arrivals times to assist in directing new
students to drop-off and reception areas; where they can collect keys; help them unload
from cars; or provide portage assistance from taxis/public transport.

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 Where assistance is provided all personal goods will be stored in a secure location on the
ground floor. This enables those with cars to unload quickly and move the vehicle.

Management enforces the need for individual students to be a good neighbour both inside
and outside of the accommodation itself, delivering a strong message regarding acceptable
behaviour and how students should live within the community.

Departures
Departures tend to be spread over a longer period, depending on exams, modules and
completion dates. There is a significant trend to allocating personal possessions to charity
on departure and this will be facilitated by management to ensure against generation of
waste.

Appointments will be made to inspect rooms for damage and cleanliness prior to
departure and, where necessary, arrangements made to return deposits or use them to
offset the cost of damages.

Building Maintenance
As a significant asset class, it is now the norm and a requirement for PBSA centres to
survive in the market that ongoing maintenance and annual redecoration will occur,
carried out by professional personnel.

Monitoring
The scheme will have a comprehensive CCTV installation enabling on site management
staff to constantly monitor the site security and activities in and around the development.

A phone number link to the management will be displayed at the entrance for use by
residents adjacent to the development to interact with management and to report and
incidences of antisocial behaviour if they occur.

The prevention and management of antisocial behaviour is a critical part of proper student
accommodation management and is fundamental to the enjoyment of the scheme for

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 students. Integration is essential so that the surrounding neighbours and local businesses
can benefit from, continue to live with and operate comfortably alongside the scheme.

The code of conduct is set out in every tenancy agreement and is notified to each
individual prior to occupation, ensuring that they are legally bound to comply with them
at all times during their stay or risk breaking their tenancy which could ultimately lead to
their eviction.

Any antisocial behaviour, such as excessive noise, caused by the student residents that is
observed by the management team, or reported to them by local neighbours, businesses or
other students, will be actively dealt with.

The comprehensive CCTV system will be a deterrent to potential anti-social behaviour
which could give rise to disturbance both within and outside of the student buildings. The
student accommodation will be part of a mixed-use scheme, which will help to ensure
compatibility.
Student’s behaviour will be managed and closely monitored through compliance with the
tenancy agreement, which students will have signed and agreed to prior to arrival. The
tenancy agreements will contain specific directions regarding acceptable behaviour,
breaches of which can result in expulsion from the accommodation.

Communal and Amenity Areas
Communal and Amenity areas will be managed to ensure their proper and efficient use of
the facilities by the student residents. The communal and amenity areas for student
residents will include:
• Podium level, enclosed landscaped gardens
• Multi-use lounge areas
• Different types of study areas
• Gym;
• Lecture theatre/Cinema;
• Laundrette;
• Canteen.

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 Retail
A retail unit will be located at ground floor level. The retail unit will be managed by a
separate entity to the student accommodation but the services provided by the retail unit
will be fully available to the student residents.

Conclusion
The priority of the management company will be to ensure that the student
accommodation scheme will be completely integrated with the local community and
residents. The student accommodation scheme will be fully managed as set out above.

Simon Clear

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