Now is not a good time to be a nimby. With the return of compulsory housebuilding targets, it is the new government’s ambition to build 1.5 million homes by the end of the next parliament. These new developments must be complemented by infrastructure systems, local services, and a sense of place.
That’s where the Oxford-Cambridge arc comes in. Labour’s new houses have to go somewhere, and the arc that spans Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Cambridge is a good bet. Oxford and Cambridge are powerhouses of innovation in the UK, playing host to the two best universities in the world. Milton Keynes is the largest new town in the UK. There is an international airport at Luton. The arc contains six science parks, 17 research and technology zones, and 10 universities. Most towns have rail links to London in under an hour.
To not have a direct link between these economic assets is madness. East West Rail would reduce the Oxford-Cambridge journey to 1 hour 30 minutes, nearly halving typical journey times which require two changes in the capital. A new motorway wasn’t the answer, and the expressway was rightly cancelled. But an electrified railway, alongside a commitment to sustainable and sensible housing developments, such as on brownfield sites, continued local consultation, and funding for rewilding, can only be a positive. Investment in growth must be spread throughout the country, but this opportunity is simply too good to miss.
