Policy J/FD: Faculty development and specialist/language schools

Higher Education Institutions 

Faculty development 

1. The development or redevelopment of faculty, academic research and academic administrative sites for higher education institutions, (including medical teaching/hospital facilities) will be supported when it meets the principles set out in this policy and other planning policies. 

University

This refers to development in its widest sense, including buildings, and streets, spaces and places. It also refers to both redevelopment, including refurbishment, as well as new development.

in the City Centre 

2. In the city centre, these uses will be permitted provided they: 

  a. make effective use of land, including a mix of uses on larger sites to meet the needs of the relevant higher education institution, and 

  b. take reasonable opportunities to improve circulation for pedestrians and cyclists, together with public realm improvements, reductions in car parking provision and the introduction of active frontages at ground floor level. 

3. The following sites are allocated for these uses and are shown on the Policies Map: 

  a. mixed-use redevelopment of the Mill Lane/Old Press site (Site S/C/OPM); and 

  b. mixed-use redevelopment of the New Museums site (Site S/C/NMD) 

4. On the edge of the city centre, the following Policy Areas will provide opportunities for enhanced faculty teaching and administrative facilities: 

  a. development of sites in the Eastern Gate Public Realm Improvement Area; and 

  b. within the Fitzroy/Burleigh Street/Grafton Area of Major Change. 

University

This refers to development in its widest sense, including buildings, and streets, spaces and places. It also refers to both redevelopment, including refurbishment, as well as new development.

outside the City Centre 

5. Beyond the city centre, the following areas will provide opportunities for: 

  a. the development of medical teaching, research facilities and related university research institutes at Cambridge Biomedical Campus, within the Cambridge Biomedical Campus

Policy outlining planning requirements for a specific area or site. This can include allocation for certain types of development or imposing restrictions for particular types of uses.

; and 

  b. the continued development of the West Cambridge site at Madingley Road, within the West Cambridge

Policy outlining planning requirements for a specific area or site. This can include allocation for certain types of development or imposing restrictions for particular types of uses.

for enhanced faculty and research facilities; 

  c. the continued development of Eddington, see Policy S/NWC: North West Cambridge for enhanced faculty and research facilities. 

6. Other proposals for enhanced faculty, academic research, academic administrative and medical teaching/ hospital facilities that avoid a shortage of land for other uses, as identified in this plan, will be supported on their merits on a case-by-case basis. 

Specialist colleges / language schools 

7. The development of existing and new specialist colleges and/or language schools will be supported if they provide: 

  a. on-site residential accommodation with social and amenity facilities for all non- local students (students arriving to study from outside Cambridge and the Cambridge sub-region), with controls in place to ensure sufficient provision of accommodation, social and amenities is provided to support any expansion of student places; and 

  b. any off-site residential accommodation is provided in local homestays. 

8. The use of family dwellings, solely occupied by students (including teaching instructors/wardens/supervisors or other associated employees) of specialist colleges and/or language schools is not an acceptable form of off-site residential accommodation. The use of higher education accommodation, outside of term-time is an acceptable form of off-site residential accommodation, subject to planning conditions to control their use and management.

The University of Cambridge (including affiliated colleges) and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) are significant employers in

The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

. The University of Cambridge and its colleges provide over 13,000 jobs and their reputation and heritage continues to attract students from across the world, tourists, language students, spin-off enterprise, medical and biomedical research, and continue to be a vital driver of the local and national economy. The University of Cambridge’s estate covers many important research centres around the city and beyond its periphery. 

Of these, the most significant include: West Cambridge, the location of the University of Cambridge’s research centre for computer science, physics and engineering; and a new urban quarter at Eddington, between Madingley Road and Huntingdon Road which will include a mix of residential development along with academic and commercial research space. The Cambridge Biomedical Campus will also continue to be developed with the recent Cambridge Biomedical Campus Supplementary Planning Document (2025). 

This SPD sets out the development principles to guide future development proposals (for phases one to three) and provides a planning framework for consideration when determining planning applications. Other key locations, where significant change has already been implemented with the remaining stages yet to be delivered, are the Old Press/Mill Lane area (Site S/C/OPM) and the New Museums site (Site S/C/NMD). 

During preparation of the plan the University of Cambridge advised GCSP that it has plans to grow undergraduate numbers by 0.5 per cent a year and postgraduates by 2 per cent a year. However, consultation responses from some University of Cambridge Colleges indicated higher growth aspirations and therefore these growth rates may be revised prior to the proposed submission plan. 

The policy acknowledges existing plans of the University of Cambridge on sites both inside and outside the city centre as well as providing an opportunity for redevelopment of sites in the city centre where plans are evolving. Similarly, ARU’s East Road campus and the wider area along East Road both remain the most sustainable locations for ARU during the next plan period and the policy supports this approach. 

There are a broad range of specialist colleges / language schools in Cambridge, including secretarial and tutorial colleges, these colleges concentrate on GCSE and A level qualifications and pre-university foundation courses. Courses of varying durations are run throughout the year. Given the economic contribution these establishments make to the local economy, it is appropriate to support their grow that mitigates their impact on local housing, amenity and facilities. 

It is important that their growth avoids placing further pressure on demand for local housing. This means the use of family dwellings not occupied by a resident family is not appropriate, as this will put additional pressure on the housing market. 

Promoters of specialist college and language school development will be expected to submit evidence to demonstrate how this issue is being addressed as a part of their planning application. The applicant will need to demonstrate how many additional students will be generated by the proposal. This will allow the planning application process to judge the residential, social and amenity impact generated. 

A robust method of calculating the additional number of students arising from any proposal, on a case-by-case basis will need to be agreed with the planning authority. This will also need to consider a range of mechanisms to agree an upper limit to the number of additional students. 

The range of mechanisms considered may include, but not be limited to, controlling the hours of operation, the number of desk spaces and the number of students. This will ensure that a proposal will generate a specific level of growth that can be measured and mitigated. Higher education student accommodation is dealt with under Policy H/SA:

Accommodation for sole use by students or academic staff provided in individual, self contained units either as part of a shared student accommodation development or an individual proposal, or bedrooms in either halls of residence (PBSA) or shared houses (HMOs) with shared facilities.

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• The combined areas of Cambridge District and South Cambridgeshire District Councils.

  A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

  Topic Paper 6: Jobs (2025)

We will consider all comments while developing the next version of the

A plan for the future development of a local area, drawn up by the local planning authority in consultation with the community. In law this is described as the development plan documents adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. A local plan can consist of either strategic or non-strategic policies, or a combination of the two.

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All comments must be received by 30 January 2026 at 5pm.