Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Comment

Representation ID: 204006

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Jesus College Cambridge

Agent: Savills

Affordability of student accommodation is crucial to diversity and inclusion priorities. The viability of affordable student accommodation is already challenging. The cost to providers, and thereby students would need to increase to a sufficient level to sustain the financial burden of a 40% contribution. A a requirement does not provide for or take account of lower income students or those with other challenging socio-economic backgrounds. There is a clear disparity between the possible student loan vs student housing costs in Cambridge. Whilst it is acknowledged that there is a need for general affordable housing in Cambridge, there is a continuing need for affordable student accommodation and the proposed policy would inhibit this from being delivered.

Comment

Representation ID: 204016

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Jesus College Cambridge

Agent: Savills

Cambridge Colleges are increasing the range of part-time courses and making increased provision to accommodate part-time students in line with Government policy. For some courses, which often recruit students from across the UK and overseas, part-time study at Cambridge University involves block periods of intensive teaching with mandatory requirements to reside in Cambridge. If these accommodation needs are met elsewhere in the Cambridge housing market, this risks tying up accommodation potentially more suited to the general market needs in Cambridge. To meet this need, it is therefore important that that part 1.a. and part 8. of policy H/SA allow for part-time student accommodation where there is a residential requirement of more than two days per week.

Comment

Representation ID: 204020

Received: 30/01/2026

Respondent: Jesus College Cambridge

Agent: Savills

1(b) includes a prohibition on “three or more adjacent properties as HMOs”. This is unduly restrictive in the context of College accommodation in Cambridge City Centre, where there are many examples of high-quality rows of College-owned HMOs. Part 1. a. is considered to be sufficient to avoid over concentration. Part b. is unduly restrictive in circumstances where, for example, there is a single house already ‘sandwiched’ between existing HMOs which may be best used as a College HMO. The part b. restriction should be removed from the Policy itself, and instead a more nuanced approach to the definition of over-concentration can be set out in the SPD already referenced as being considered by the Councils in the consultation.