After its Cambridge student accommodation plans faced opposition from more than 140 members of the Cambridge city council, Queen’s College has decided to appeal the decision by highlighting the benefits of its new project.  

Background

Queen’s College, part of the University of Cambridge, has planned to construct a four-building Cambridge student accommodation set to accommodate students in its 60+ student rooms in the area of Owlstone Close, which is specifically designed to house Postgraduate students. 

If it goes into motion, it will undoubtedly increase the availability of Cambridge student accommodation; however, sceptics believe it would harm the nearby ecosystem as it is planned to be built near the Paradise Nature Reserve, which the buildings are said to have a negative impact on according to the park's supporters beliefs.

In response to the appeals, supporters of the natural reserve have not only publicly denounced the project but have also started raising funds to fight against the decision in their Friends of Paradise Nature Reserve community group.

Queen’s College’s Point of View

Queen’s College is keen on highlighting the importance of having this Cambridge student accommodation, which is said to remove the reliance on the private sector and provide more purposely-built student accommodation options. The building plans are also designed with the surrounding area in mind, so the college and design team themselves were aware of how sensitive the surrounding area is.

Queen’s College’s Resolutions

Queen College acknowledges the role it has to play in conserving the neighbouring environment and ecosystem. Due to various concerns, the university has addressed multiple issues and pledged to preserve the adjacent ecosystem. Not just that, but they also plan to increase the biodiversity by 50% and pledge to remove any building that negatively impacts the character of the nearby conservation area as well as the appearance of the nearby area.

Queen’s College’s buildings are also set to be built in a sustainable manner, with high quality materials and consideration for their surroundings, as well as an emphasis on landscaping. All previously mentioned considerations have been laid out for the Planning Inspectorate.

In addition to this, reports on nearby bats and how light affects them are also taken into consideration, which will also affect how the building’s lights work, such as keeping the lights low so as not to disturb the low number of nearby bats.

With all that being said, Queen’s College has appealed the refusal on the grounds that it will present benefits to the nearby conservation area and the community by providing more Cambridge student accommodation for students, increasing the net biodiversity by 50%, pledging to be sustainable, and removing any building that negatively affects the character and beauty of the neighbouring area. If all of the university’s plans go into motion, this can provide a prime example of sustainability.