Akademiska hus want to get rid of the shortage of student housing in Lund. As a first step, the plan is to build 500 new living quarters at LTH.
At the end of 2014, the State-run housing company Akademiska hus had their mission statement broadened. As of now, they are to own and build student housing. Presently, they intend to clinch the matter.
Up to 2021, Akademiska hus are obliged to build almost 500 new student living-spaces in the area between the Ingvar Kamprad Designcentrum and Ideon on the LTH-grounds. The housings are to be built in steps and are to consist of single and double apartments.
Building Lund out of deficit
This build is the first in Lund undertaken by Akademiska hus, but it also represents the starting point for building Lund out of the housing deficit.
“The goal to build Lund out of the student housing deficit is a challenge we have to undertake. We have several other plans to continuously develop our building enterprise, and looking ahead, we want to be able to create around 2,000 new living quarters in total,” says Tomas Ringdahl, regional chairperson of Akademiska hus Region Syd.
The 500 new living quarters will be built in the vicinity of the future tram stations, and that is one of the main reasons why this area has been chosen.
“We have taken stock of all available ground, and this area has great potential in connection with student preferences about public transport, distance to study place, grocery stores, and the centre of Lund,” Tomas Ringdahl says.
The start of building will be in the autumn of 2017 and will be undertaken in several steps up until the year 2021. The first living spaces are expected to be finished in spring 2019. Tomas Ringdahl thinks, however, that it is hard – even impossible – to predict when the student housing deficit will have been taken care of in Lund.
“How long is a piece of string? We need to be open for student demand for housing and tread lightly,” he says.
Translation: Richard Helander
