© Marte Hofsteenge
According to the prognosis, the university will continue to expand in the next years. Based on the numbers provided by the university, Idealis expects a shortage of 425 student rooms in the academic year 2019-2020. This shortage will increase to 925 units by 2021-2022, even if Idealis is able to realise the already planned new buildings and temporary housing. This means that new locations will be necessary for student housing. After the summer, Idealis will once again start consulting with the municipality of Wageningen to make concrete plans.
Alternatives
There seemed to be sufficient rooms to cope with growth in the upcoming year, as Idealis was going to realise three hundred student rooms in Kortenoord. However, the municipality of Wageningen chose a more elaborate procedure, meaning that these rooms will not be available until the end of next year.
Idealis is therefore currently looking at quick alternatives. These have mainly been found outside Wageningen. Idealis will rent seventy rooms for a period of two years, allowing them to accommodate 140 students on the former barracks grounds in Ede. Idealis also hopes to be able to rent the former care centre Heidestein in Heelsum, which would provide an additional sixty independent housing units.
Just enough
The rooms are mainly meant for international students, allowing Idealis to observe the agreement made with the university about reserving 750 rooms for internationals in the upcoming academic year. ‘We expect to have just enough rooms to offer this year’, estimates Hellen Albers, spokesperson for Idealis.
Construction
The accommodation provider will start the construction of a new student complex on the Diedenoort grounds in September and hopes to be able to start constructing on the Kirpestein grounds in Wageningen within several years. But these projects will only partially help relieve the ever-increasing demand for student housing. The university estimates that in the next few years, the number of students will grow from the current 11,500 to 14,750 by 2021. About sixty percent of these three thousand additional students – in other words 1800 students – will be searching for accommodation in Wageningen.