Further building delays at Hinsley Lane, a new housing development for students at Lucy Cavendish and St John’s, have been announced. Construction is expected to continue until at least the end of March, according to new estimates.

The delays have left multiple students from both colleges who were given this accommodation in last year’s ballots having to live in other accommodation until at least the end of Lent Term.

Hinsley Lane is a £30m Passivhaus development of 39 houses, with a total of 245 en-suite rooms. The development will house students from St John’s, Lucy Cavendish, and Clare Hall, which can also lease these rooms to Senior Members of the College. Monthly rent for one of the rooms ranges from £878 to £940 depending on room size and college.

Initially, the houses were meant to be completed by the start of Michaelmas term. However, students were notified in Easter term of 2024 that some houses would not be ready until the start of Lent Term, and that they would be given alternative accommodation. Work on the site has been ongoing throughout Michaelmas, with only a fraction of students living in the completed houses.

During this time, students have reported issues with fire alarms, hot water, working hobs, Wifi, heating, and noise disruption from onsite works.

One student at Lucy Cavendish said: “It has been mixed […] The delays to facilities [at the beginning of term] wasn’t a huge issue as the majority of the house was done, with just the kitchen not being finished.”

“But the constant closure to bike access has been frustrating and I don’t think Lucy/Johns have handled communication well; such a late announcement to the projected delays and then such a huge add on to the delay is not conducive to people to plan for Lent, and for the people stuck in Wolfson (a housing block being used as alternative accommodation) it is a nightmare,” they continued.

In an email to students on 13 December, Lucy Cavendish said that “while the contractors are aiming to complete earlier, this new timeline represents the worst-case scenario”.

“We are in constructive dialogue with St Johns College regarding appropriate compensation which when calculated will be passed on to students in full,” the email continued.

Another student has said that “waking up every day to early construction works takes the piss, but with the promise of the building works being finished soon, it was okay.”

“The buildings are made of paper anyway, with the first couple weeks having severe electrical and hot water problems. Don’t rush building works and put in students if it’s not ready,” they added.

“The building delays have been massively inconvenient, along with the constant pushing back of deadlines – it has been a stressful and frustrating process since the ballot. The noise from the construction work has also been extremely disruptive,” another student remarked.

Throughout this process, some students at Lucy Cavendish have praised the College’s accommodation team, highlighting the reduced rents they have been given at their other housing, support with moving to Hinsley Lane if students wish, and focusing on the lack of control Lucy Cavendish has over the project, which is funded by St Johns.

One student said: “Overall – not their fault but they have a consistent issue with announcing things last minute and not being very upfront with people which is a big issue.”

Another student living in the accommodation told Varsity: “The homes themselves are very visibly rushed, with the hot water cuts being my worst nightmare this term. I do think Lucy is just a struggling tenant, waiting on John’s to grant us what scraps they have left.”

A spokeswoman for St John’s College said: “The unforeseen delays in the completion of the Hinsley Lane student accommodation project are very regrettable. St John’s is working closely with the contractor to ensure the development is completed as soon as possible and Lucy Cavendish College has been kept informed so that they can update their students.”

“Initial teething problems with the houses already occupied have been resolved and compensation arrangements are being discussed,” she continued.

Lucy Cavendish College was contacted for comment.