THE Eastern Institute of Technology is to spend $2.5 million upping the number of beds at its student accommodation in Taradale because of a shortage of cheap flats and homestays.
Documents released to Hawke's Bay Today show the institute plans to spend $2.5 million increasing capacity at its 72-room Student Villas
in Taradale by about 30 rooms as part of a $11.3 million boom on building during the next two years.
The cost is based on $50,000 per bed and $400,000 for shared facilities such as laundries and lounges, and $300,000 to replace the manager's house at the Gloucester Street site.
Chief executive Chris Collins said the Student Villas had been full, with a waiting list every year since it opened in 1999, and homestays were increasingly hard to come by for international students.
There was also a tight rental market in Taradale, forcing many students to look outside Taradale for a place to live.
"There is more pressure on accommodation so we have to consider our options," Mr Collins said.
Mr Collins hoped the accommodation expansion would encourage more people to study in Hawke's Bay. The institute also plans to spend up to $5.5 million refurbishing its two trades training workshops, including $1 million for new equipment. Corporate services director Kerry Marshall said the current workshop was built 34 years ago and in desperate need of a facelift. A further $3.3 million has been earmarked for the expansion and refurbishment of the administration and B block buildings to free up space for activities like e-learning support.
Mr Marshall said the institute was still investigating how to fund the projects, but it was likely to come from EIT's operational surplus and the Government.
