Draft Greater Cambridge Local Plan for consultation

Many Colleges have significant accommodation at the fringe of their site or nearby. There is ambiguity in “within an existing university or college campus site” when considering college layouts. Students/estate management consider a site as core if in a nearby unit. Often conservation constraints limit development on College sites; nearby properties are then the most appropriate location for students. We request the words “or nearby” are inserted in paragraph 10. (a) and in line 1 of policy 9.10. Colleges house students in period hostels which may not strictly be PBSA even if used for decades. Refurbishment of such sites shouldn't have a contribution obligation. Therefore the definition of PBSA needs to have an exemption for “long standing College student accommodation”.

In line with Government policy, Cambridge University is increasing the range of part-time courses and making increased provision to accommodate part-time students. As all students on part-time degree courses are members of Colleges and because Colleges are the principal providers of accommodation and related services, there is an expectation on Colleges to house more part-time students. These efforts will be limited to core College sites and existing student accommodation under this policy which is likely to place a significant constraint on the extent to which the collegiate university can expand part-time student provision for those unable to live at home. 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. We therefore propose that clauses 1 a and 8 of policy H/SA allow for part-time student accommodation where there is a residential requirement of more than two days per week.

Proposed policy H/MO 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 (e.g. Jesus Lane [Christ’s], Malcolm Street [Jesus], Park Terrace [Emmanuel]). In certain roads in the City, this may be a better solution than “pepper potting” College HMOs across the City: better for local residents in terms of the ability of Colleges to manage the HMOs really effectively, and better for students in terms of community, It is strongly suggested that this restriction be removed from the Policy itself, and instead a more nuanced approach to the definition of over-concentration be set out in the Supplementary Planning Document suggested in para 9.97 of the consultation,