Queen's University Belfast to turn more than 600 city centre student rooms into short-term lets: Hotels fear for future
Queen’s University is to turn more than 600 rooms of Belfast city centre student accommodation it owns into tourist lets over the summer.
The move, which planners say should be allowed to go ahead, involves two multi-storey student buildings the university has close to major landmarks in the heart of Northern Ireland’s capital city.
One will see 374 beds on College Avenue close to Belfast’s central shopping district become Airbnb-style lets in July and August, while the other involves 245 rooms in a building between the city’s Europa Hotel and the Ulster Hall.
Similar moves involving private sector beds close to the Belfast campus of Ulster University have already proved controversial, with the hotels industry claiming that allowing large buildings specifically set up as student accommodation switch to also aim at the tourist market after they’ve been constructed amounts to unfair competition and is potentially damaging.
A body representing hotels has objected to the new plans on the same grounds.
Queen’s University Belfast is listed as the applicant behind the short-term let bids for both the Elms BT1 and Elms BT2 student sites.
Both accommodation centres were built within the last 10 years and are run directly by the university to house its students.
Half of the beds in both sprawling Elms BT1 and 16-storey Elms BT2 would become available to tourists seeking Airbnb-style lets in July and August if the plans are given a green light.
Information submitted with official applications for the changes in use states that operating the total 619 rooms as short-term lets outside of term time would allow the university to “make efficient, year-round use of its purpose-built student accommodation, which would otherwise remain largely vacant over the summer period".
Acting on behalf of Queen’s, consultants TSA Planning state: “This approach supports the sustainable management of existing assets by generating additional income to help offset operational and maintenance costs.
“Short-term occupation can also meet seasonal demand in Belfast from visitors, conference delegates, visiting academics and summer programmes, contributing positively to the local economy.
“Overall, the proposal represents a pragmatic and sustainable use of established accommodation that aligns with efficient land use principles and supports the university’s wider educational, economic and community objectives.”
The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation has raised concerns, however, arguing the moves “threaten the viability” of existing and future businesses in that sector by allowing Queen’s to “add quasi-hotel capacity into an already competitive city-centre visitor market”.
Short-term lets don’t face the same tax burdens, standards requirements and regulatory restrictions as hotels, the federation argues, and nor do they employ large numbers of staff. Bringing hundreds more such rooms into Belfast during peak tourism months risks “financially displacing” hotels that by definition have much higher running costs, they argue.
City planners dismiss those issues, however, stating in official reports that Belfast Council has a 10-year strategy to increase its visitor accommodation and the university’s plans fit with it – similar reasoning to that officials have used to dismiss the federation’s objections to previous similar moves involving student beds.
The Elms BT1 and Elms BT2 moves are due to come up at a Belfast Council meeting next week, with planners recommending they should both go ahead.
Queen’s University has been contacted.