Cambridge University’s poorest college spent over £500,000 objecting to a proposed busway

Cambridge University’s poorest college has spent over £500,000 in objection to a proposed C2C busway.

Clare Hall, a postgraduate college, ran a campaign opposing the busway which is intended to run down Rifle Range Road.

The college made a number of objections including noise disturbance, potential “severe reputational damage”, increased flood risk and damage to Grade II listed assets, as well as being a hindrance to their auditorium project, which they are attempting to raise funds for.

They requested that the busway go down Adams Road instead. According to council reports and residents, Adams Road is a busy road with a cycle path. One resident argued it would be ‘life-threatening’ to cyclists for the busway to go down this road.

According to a Freedom of Information request submitted by a resident, Clare Hall spent £537,483.75 on services such as legal fees, commissioning surveys and reports from engineering firms while objecting to the busway.

Greater Cambridge Partnership, the delivery body for the project, argued that the busway is necessary for housing growth, sustainable transport, and reducing congestion.

via Wikimedia Commons

The resident who submitted the FOI request explained they found the total amount “unbelievable”. They also argued it was misuse of the college’s funds, which should be focused on the welfare of its students, especially when the endeavour was abandoned. 

“We need to move people from the west into the centre and from the station to the biomedical campus. Everything has flaws and everything has problems, but this actually solves quite a few issues”, the resident explained.

As of summer 2025, Clare Hall is Cambridge University’s poorest college, with total net assets of £42,965, 423.

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A Clare Hall spokesperson said: “Clare Hall and Cambridgeshire County Council have concluded a comprehensive agreement regarding the proposed Cambourne to Cambridge busway scheme, and the Charity Commission is fully aware of the process and outcome.

“All of the specialist reports commissioned by the College were submitted as evidence to the public inquiry and placed in the public realm on the inquiry website.”

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Cambridge University and Greater Cambridge Partnership have been contacted for comment

Featured image via Unsplash and Wikimedia Commons