In anticipation of Prince William’s arrival, real estate prices in university town St Andrews have skyrocketed nearly 50 per cent. And as 4,000 extra students are expected in the Fife coastal town next year, university officials have been forced to commission a new £7 million residence hall to accommodate the overflow.
“Clearly this year there will be an unprecedented number of people accepting places at St Andrews,” says student association president Marcus Booth. “I would like to say this was down to the excellent academic standards, but it is pretty obvious much of this is to do with a new student.”
St Andrews residents are no strangers to celebrity, with golf champions Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus occasionally passing through for the Open tournament. But Prince William has caused a stir like never before at Scotland’s oldest university.
To house the influx, which includes a large percentage of American teenage girls, the university principal has announced plans for a new block of housing to be ready in time for the 2002 academic year.
Yet with the average weekly rents jumping from £50 to £100, some families are opting to buy rather than rent.
“They want property in the most desirable part of town for students,” says one real estate representative. “They buy three or four-bedroom flats in converted town houses so that they can rent out rooms to other students. Flats like that are also a good investment.”
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
