More than 40 objections to student housing proposal as residents claim city is ‘already full’

Plans to transform a former care home into student accommodation have sparked concern amongst residents, who say the area already has a disproportionately high student population.

More than 40 people have objected to the proposal, claiming the university is attracting more students to “a city which is already full.”

The former St Joseph’s Home site on Cotham Hill in Cotham was placed on the market after the care facility ceased operations in 2025.

Developer Harringay Real Estate has since submitted proposals to change the site’s use to provide student accommodation. The application is set to be considered by councillors, with just over a week remaining in the public consultation period and opposition building among nearby residents.

via Google Maps

Cotham Hill sits adjacent to the University of Bristol campus, located just a stone’s throw from Woodland Road.

There is a shortage of student accommodations near campus, prompting the development of large new student residences in areas that have not traditionally had significant student populations. For example, Metal Works in Bedminster provides housing for more than 800 students.

“Cotham and Clifton Down are already very, very unbalanced communities where up to 37.5 per cent of the population is students,” said resident Ant Draper. “It has considerable knock-on effects for services like hospitals, police and waste collection.

“We are not against having students as neighbours, but we are very much against having an imbalance, and an additional 132 people living right next door to an existing 196-bed student block is too many.”

In a frequently asked questions section on its website, Harringay Real Estate argues that Bristol faces a severe shortage of student accommodation, particularly close to the University of Bristol’s Clifton campus.

The developer states that a lack of purpose-built student housing forces many students into flats and houses that would otherwise be occupied by families or young professionals, increasing pressure on housing supply and affordability across the city.

The website highlights the “opportunity” to “sensitively repurpose the historic building” into “much-needed student accommodation”. 

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The issue arises amidst wider concerns over student housing conditions, with recent reports highlighting cases of students living in expensive, poor-quality accommodation affected by issues such as mould and safety concerns.

Despite this, Ant challenged the suggestion that additional student housing would ease Bristol’s broader housing problems.

“Only yesterday I was talking to a landlord who said there is no chance that by building purpose-built student accommodation you free up HMOs”.

A broader concern was reflected: “The root of the problem is the University of Bristol continues to expand at an alarming rate, bringing more and more students into a city which is already full.

“We have very long housing lists for people who want to live in Bristol: families and workers who want to move here but can’t afford it or find somewhere to live.”

Approximately 10 local residents have joined forces to campaign against the proposal, distributing leaflets and encouraging others to submit objections to the application.

The scheme has already attracted more than 40 objections, many of which argue that the scale of student accommodation in the area is undermining the diversity of the local community.

A spokesperson for Harringay Real Estate said: “We understand these concerns, and it is why it is so important that high-quality, professionally managed purpose-built student accommodation schemes such as this come forward to reduce the antisocial aspects that can sometimes arise in the unmanaged sector.

“Harringay Real Estate undertook consultation with the surrounding community before submitting the change of use planning application, and its consultation website has been updated with information about the planning application.”

Residents have until June 10th to submit comments before the consultation period ends.