Oxford–Cambridge Arc
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The Oxford–Cambridge Arc (formerly the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford corridor) is a notional arc of
The original Oxford to Cambridge (O2C) Arc initiative was launched in 2003 by three English
In November 2017, a report for the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) noted that, "in 2014, the Gross Value Added (GVA) of the "corridor" was £90.5bn (2011 prices); by doubling housebuilding rates in the area, and delivering East West Rail and the Oxford–Cambridge Expressway, this [would] increase by £163bn to a GVA of £250bn".[1] In February 2021, the Government announced plans to develop the concept further,[2] but cancelled the Abingdon–Milton Keynes link of the expressway in March 2021.[3] As of July 2022[update], East West Rail development continues but the (then) Minister has suggested that the Bedford–Cambridge leg could be cancelled.[4]
Industry
The Arc is a major centre of the
Other major industries include agriculture, tourism, construction, entertainment, education, retail and finance. A high proportion of the population commutes daily to London. Commuting and business travel within the arc is relatively difficult in the absence of east–west infrastructure.[1][a]
Future
In 2017, the National Infrastructure Commission projected that the Arc will become host to major hi-tech industrial developments and will need to provide one million new homes by 2050, with Milton Keynes alone doubling in population to 500,000.[6]
To facilitate this development (and wider national infrastructure needs for outer orbital routes around London), two major projects are underway or were planned. Work has begun to extend
In February 2021, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government issued a policy paper setting out "the government's planned approach to developing the Oxford–Cambridge Arc Spatial Framework".[2] The paper identifies the arc as an economic powerhouse with three significant issues that need to be resolved: the natural environment and climate change; connectivity and infrastructure; and the availability of homes where they are most needed.[2]
Universities
The Arc has a major university sector with 20,000 workers as part of the knowledge economy:
Demographics
The Arc is one of the most ethnically diverse regions of the UK. Bedford, roughly central to the Arc and with a population of 100,000, is home to native speakers of over 100 languages, a figure which rivals London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. The Arc has the fastest growing population of any of the similar regions within the UK; several of the major towns and cities, most notably Bicester and Milton Keynes, are set to double in size over the coming few decades,[7] and others, such as Cambourne, have been built from scratch since the late 1990s.
Politically, the Arc is largely a Conservative stronghold, with only the urban constituencies returning Liberal Democrat or Labour MPs.
Transport
The region is well served by major radial routes from London (the M40, M1, A1(M) and M11 motorways, and the West Coast Main Line, the Midland Main Line and the East Coast Main Line railways). However, routes around the arc are poor, with a disjointed and overloaded road network.[b] and a fragmentary railway line (remnants of the former Varsity Line).
A twice-hourly express bus service,
In November 2017, in its report on the Arc, the NIC called for the
Major settlements
Oxfordshire
Buckinghamshire
- Buckingham ‡
- Milton Keynes †‡*
- Aylesbury († via spur)
Bedfordshire
Cambridgeshire
- Cambourne†*
- Cambridge †*
- Huntingdon
- St Ives
- St Neots * (possibly † from Tempsford)
Northamptonshire
‡ Places served by X5 route. Since August 2020, the service terminates at Bedford. Passengers for Cambridge must transfer to a rural multi-stop service,
† Places planned to be served by East West Rail. As of August 2022[update], plans for Sandy/Tempsford/St Neots services via EWR have not been detailed.
* Places planned to be served by the Oxford Cambridge Expressway. As of August 2022[update], the route (if ever) of an Expressway between the M1 and the A34 is undecided. Locations shown above with an asterisk are on the A421/A428 route, which is already expressway standard.
See also
References
- Highways England announced final route selection to replace the single-carriageway section from Caxton Gibbet to the A1, with construction to begin[needs update] in 2022).[5] The route resumes as an expressway between the A1 and the M1 at Junction 13. From there to the outskirts of Oxford, (as of February 2020[update]), the route remains to be determined and may not go ahead.
- A14 at Girton(Cambridge), it is an (almost complete) expressway route across the A1 to join the A14. (At present, the A1–A14 link is numbered A428 but is to be renumbered as A421
- ^ a b c Moran, Mark (17 November 2017). "National Infrastructure Commission calls for major investment in transport links between Oxford and Cambridge". Transport Xtra. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
- ^ a b c Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (18 February 2021). "Planning for sustainable growth in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc: an introduction to the spatial framework". Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ a b c "Oxford to Cambridge expressway project cancelled as Transport Secretary looks to alternative plans for improving transport in the region". GOV.UK. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
- ^ a b "Shapps to cut back East West Rail?". Rail Magazine. No. 962. 23 July 2022.
- ^ "Route unveiled for major new road and junction at Black Cat". Highways England. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ^ "Oxford to Cambridge expressway strategic study: stage 3 report" (PDF). UK Department for Transport. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- ^ xMilton Keynes set to double in size swelling population to half a million Sally Murder, Milton Keynes Citizen, 23 January 2018
- ^ Cuzner, Mark, ed. (May 2022). "EWR2 Project Newsletter – Spring 2022". East West Rail Alliance. (Winslow Station progress update)
External links
- http://www.eastwestcorridor.co.uk/ (a website set up by regional law firm, Howes Percival, which collates and comments on information as developments happen across the corridor).
- England's Economic Heartland
- National Infrastructure Commission's interim report on the Cambridge—Milton Keynes—Oxford corridor
- https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/oxford-to-cambridge-expressway-road-scheme-update