Downing College has proposed controversial new plans to turn a first-year accommodation building into a year-round B&B hotel, Varsity can reveal.

The change, which may take effect as early as the start of Michaelmas term next year, would reserve the accommodation in Howard Lodge building primarily for conference attendees, alongside some international students on placements at Downing, all year round.

Varsity understands this comes as an attempt to tackle the College’s financial deficit, estimated at approximately £1.5 million annually, while trying to minimise student costs and avoid cuts to facilities.

External guest rooms are currently available to book in Downing, advertising itself as a “different kind of B&B” on its conference and events website.

However, Varsity understands this change would result in Howard Lodge accommodation becoming B&B accommodation also during term-time, forcing first-year undergraduates to be moved to alternative accommodation.

Similarly, Howard Building and Howard Theatre are currently available to book for conferences and events, as part of the College’s conference business which is expected to generate £2.5 million in revenue over the next year.

The plans have been a topic of much controversy among many students, particularly the worry that external guests will live alongside students in College during term-time.

One Downing student told Varsity: “Students should always be the priority at Cambridge. We worked so hard to get here and it feels confusing that conference revenue is being prioritised over student comfort."

They continued, "If the proposition is that more students move into the Singer Building, then why can’t the conference attendees stay there, and students remain in Howard Lodge?”

Downing JCR minutes from an open meeting earlier this month (10/11) feature “discussion of plans to turn Howard Lodge into a Conference/B&B Hotel”.

The minutes suggested that alternative accommodation for first-years, to replace Howard Lodge, may include new rooms in K staircase, the Singer Building (currently for postgraduate students), as well as rooms above the Cuba Libre restaurant on Regent Street, which are yet to be completed.

At the meeting, students voiced concerns that the College would feel less safe. Proposals were even made to cordon off Howard Lodge altogether.

Multiple questions were asked at the meeting about the plans, including about whether guests would have access to student facilities like the dining hall and whether they would be required to sign a code of conduct on arrival.

Students asked why guests could not stay in the College’s Lensfield Road properties or in the soon-to-be-built rooms above Cuba Libre instead.

The College’s deficit, driven by inflation affecting the Living Wage, National Insurance and utilities alongside frozen undergraduate tuition fees, is already being addressed through the College’s conference business.

It has also been partly softened by Downing’s investment in its International Summer Schools programme, though these measures alone have proven insufficient in post-COVID economic conditions.

Downing College is widely recognised by Cambridge students for its high-quality student accommodation, and Howard Lodge is a prime example of this, each room featuring a double bed and en-suite facilities.

The plan forms one part of the College’s broader efforts to expand and reconfigure its accommodation. The addition of 60 new postgraduate rooms near the train station has freed up the Singer Building for prospective undergraduate use, while construction is underway above Cuba Libre to create 27 new student rooms.

Looking ahead, the Vice Master of Downing has announced potential plans to build a Singer 2 and Singer 3, and even to redevelop Mandela House, currently housing Council offices, or the Royal Cambridge Hotel.

The total cost of all of these building projects would amount to £40 million, to be funded through a combination of donations and loans.

Downing College has been contacted for comment.