Minister quizzed by councillor over ‘brain belt’ proposals

THE Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, has responded to a letter from the Minister of State for Housing, Kit Malthouse, asking the council to provide proposals for housing growth, within a proposed Oxford to Cambridge Corridor,  or ‘the brain belt’.

District Cllr Jane Murphy, Leader of SODC

The Minister has stated that this new ‘Economic Hub’ which will include an Oxford to Cambridge Expressway, will need up to one million new homes to be built by 2050 – an average of over 30,000 per year.

Cllr Jane Murphy has written a statement summarising her response, in which she questions why the Minister is asking for details of the district council’s proposals for helping to meet this need, before the final route of a proposed Expressway through the corridor has been decided. Her statement reads:

“We welcome the opportunity to respond to Kit Malthouse MP, Minister of State for Housing, request for housing growth proposals within our district that support the Oxford to Cambridge Corridor.

“We have written to the minister to request more information on the reasons behind the need for one million new homes and have expressed our surprise that he requires information on any new developments prior to the route being decided.

“It is unclear from the minister’s letter if the new homes required include our ambitious planned growth, included in our emerging Local Plan, and takes into consideration other Oxfordshire authorities, who have signed up to the Housing and Growth Deal.

“The South Oxfordshire Local Plan is currently under review, with all strategic housing sites being reassessed. The Council will make their decision in December following completion of the review and aim to submit the plan for examination in March next year. This timetable is in line with all our partners, who have signed up to the Housing and Growth Deal.

“We continue to work together with other local authorities on the Joint Statutory Spatial Plan for Oxfordshire – a tool for considering the county’s growth in a co-ordinated, long-term way, which takes into consideration each district’s local plan.

“We have informed the minister that the spatial plan is a more appropriate method to explore housing growth and have sought assurance that the government won’t impose new settlements in our district.

“We welcome this letter and have requested to continue to engage and consult with the minister throughout the whole process to deliver this ambitious project.”

Why an Oxford to Cambridge Corridor?

The Government’s motivation for such a strategic route can be summarised in findings from the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) which concluded that the strong economic and population growth across the region has resulted in increasing demands on the existing transport infrastructure and housing supply. Rising congestion, journey times and housing unaffordability, the NIC stated, threatens further economic growth and these constraints reduce the attractiveness of the area as a place to live and work.

High house prices make it increasingly difficult for employers to attract and retain staff and attract new businesses – particularly in Oxford. Also, both Cambridge and Oxford are constrained by Green Belt designations. The NIC states: “The Expressway would help support the highly productive urban areas by helping to address some of these economic challenges. An Expressway and EWR (East-West Rail) would reduce congestion and capacity issues on local commuter routes (A34, A421 and A428), unlock local housing sites and improve connectivity between skilled people and important employment centres and thus support local economic growth in key urban areas within the study area including Oxford, Bicester, Buckingham and  Aylesbury (depending on the Expressway route option), Milton Keynes, Bedford, St Neots and Cambridge.”

The proposed routes

The recently published Oxford to Cambridge Expressway Strategic Study: Stage 3 Report has come up with a short list of Expressway routes to better connect the two university cities by completing the ‘missing link’ between the M1 and the M40, to create a new ‘Economic Hub’. These are:

* via Thame, Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard (Option A)
* the East-West Rail (EWR) corridor (Option B) or
* the existing A421 corridor (Option C) – SODC’s preferred route, including sub-option C1 to the North and West of Oxford. The details can be found HERE

These options include on and off-line improvements and a number of sub-options in order to route around Oxford. All three Expressway options include conversion of sections of the A34, A421, A428 and A1 to Expressway standard to complete the route between the M4 and A14/M11. To quote the report: “Each Expressway option would form part of a package of transport measures including EWR, route technology, integration with rail interchange hubs and local access and mobility measures (including non-motorised users).” That’s pedestrians, cyclists and equestrian users.

What next?

The next stage of the NIC’s assessment will involve a more detailed ‘qualitative and quantitative’ assessment of the short listed Expressway schemes, and will assess the value for money, environmental (LINK HERE for concerns of one, major wild-life organisation), transport, and economic impacts of the Expressway interventions and will be reported in a Strategic Outline Business Case. This next stage of this study will also include further analysis of ‘the potential interaction between the short listed Expressway schemes and EWR to better understand the complementary benefits both schemes could provide’.

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