Last week (Feb18) Christopher Pincher, Minister of State for Housing, set out how Government will work with local partners to create an ambitious plan to transform the Oxford-Cambridge Arc into one of the world’s premier growth corridors and a world-leader in sustainability.
The Arc, which is made up of five ceremonial counties of Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire is home to over 2 million jobs and provides a place to live for more than 3.7 million residents.
According to the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP), The Spatial Framework will set a long-term, strategic approach to planning for growth across the Arc. It will help to unlock the potential of the area in a sustainable way. It will help to create thousands of jobs, drive investment, protect and enhance the environment, and provide the infrastructure and beautiful new places needed to make the area an even greater place to live and work. The plan and policies will have the status of national planning policy.
Information on SEMLEP’s website states the results, due to be published in 2022, will give communities a chance to shape the long-term future of their local area and will help to ensure the benefits of growth are felt across the region.
The policy paper published last week sets out the approach Government intends to take, including:
• a timeline for developing the Framework,
• how Government will engage communities and work with local partners, and
• the high-level scope of the Framework, including the approach it will take to planning for the environment, infrastructure, economic growth, and new homes and place-making.
The Government has also announced its intention to establish an Arc Growth Body to promote the Arc internationally.
To realise the full potential of local economies and the Arc as a whole, the Government is also considering how further investment could create jobs, support the delivery of more homes, and support local economic growth.
The Arc’s success is key to the United Kingdom’s national prosperity, international competitiveness, and ability to meet the challenges and opportunities the country will face over the next century, including climate change and supporting nature recovery, technological change, fighting COVID-19 and preventing future pandemics.
To realise the full potential of local economies and the Arc as a whole, the Government is also considering how further investment could create jobs, support the delivery of more homes, and support local economic growth.
Christopher Pincher MPsaid: “The Oxford-Cambridge Arc is already home to world-leading economic, cultural and scientific assets.”
“We know for instance Cambridge’s rate of patent applications – a key indicator of innovation – is the highest in the United Kingdom, while nearby Milton Keynes is the fastest growing city in the country.
“We want to take this region to the next phase of its renaissance by unlocking its full potential and our plans will drive investment where it is needed and ensure, as growth happens, we create well-designed, inclusive and vibrant places and communities.
“The OxCam Spatial Framework will allow us to plan positively for growth and we look forward to working with our local partners over the coming months to strengthen our vision and approach to the Arc.”
For more information on the OxCam Arc and the spatial framework, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-for-sustainable-growth-in-the-oxford-cambridge-arc-spatial-framework
In the Autumn 2020, the Arc Leadership Group published an Economic Prospectus for the Arc. Download this Prospectus here: https://www.semlep.com/oxford-cambridge-arc/