Cambridge City Council rejects Wolfson College expansion over housing price concerns

Cambridge City Council has rejected a request from Wolfson College to convert a house into student accommodation.

The college claimed it urgently needed more rooms after it was unable to house a “substantial” number of postgraduate and undergraduate students in recent years.

A total of 179 full time students couldn’t be housed in 2024-25, a decline from 231 students in 2023-34, and 241 in 2022-23.

Wolfson College planned to convert 40 Barton Rd into student accommodation in order to help accommodate more students. It also claimed that Cambridge’s rental market lacked “affordability, stability and often proximity to campus.”

As of March 2025, average monthly rent in Cambridge was £1,763, exceeding the national average by over £400.

However, Cambridge Council rejected Wolfson College’s application, citing that it failed to demonstrate “exceptional circumstances” that would justify turning 40 Barton Rd into a student accommodation.

A spokesperson for Wolfson College said: “Providing dedicated student accommodation within a five-minute walk for the main College campus represents a practical solution to this problem.

“The college campus has limited available space and no opportunity for short-term solutions to accommodate more student accommodation on the campus. This results in the need for some off campus accommodation solutions to help meet some of the student accommodation needs.

“The acquisition of some properties to house students is a part of the solution, especially where there is a suitable property close to the college and of a size to house multiple students in one property.”

Cambridge Council explained it intends to preserve housing in the city and prevent it from being lost to student accommodation.

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