The news has been welcomed by student groups in the west
Earlier this summer, students in Sligo were left feeling ‘frustrated’ and ‘anxious’ as they received news that a significant amount of student accommodation would not be available from September.
The owners of the Benbulben and Milligan Court complex notified students via email at the start of June, as it had planned to use the apartments to house refugees.
But the Government has overturned its decision to turn student accommodation in Sligo into housing for refugees.
Statement regarding closure of Benbulben Court and Milligan Court student accommodation. #sligo #atusligo pic.twitter.com/rP47HTBxMl
— ATU Students’ Union, Sligo (@atussu_ie) June 13, 2023
Between four and five hundred students lived in the student complex - and the decision to roll back on the idea has been welcomed by student groups in the West of Ireland.
Dáire Martin outgoing president at ATU Sligo Student Union says the change of heart is a huge relief:
"There is already a very existing strain on accommodation in Sligo and there was always a prevalent loss of limited accommodation crisis that existed in Sligo."
He continued, "So, losing 500 bed spaces of the 17 hundred odd spaces that we had total was a huge and massive blow. This is absolutely well welcomed. "
