The Commission has welcomed the speech this morning by the Chancellor, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, setting out the government’s plans for growth. In it she set out new details on its plans to invest in and deliver new infrastructure projects in support of this goal, including outlining new plans for the development of the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor, in line with recommendations on the region’s transformation originally made by the Commission in 2017. The Chancellor also gave a renewed commitment to address blocks to infrastructure delivery in planning, and to support the expansion of Heathrow Airport and the development of the Lower Thames Crossing, as the government aimed to go “further and faster” in its growth mission.
On the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor, she confirmed government had made an agreement with water companies on unlocking £7.9 billion investment in the region’s water, which would include a number of new reservoirs; in addition, she announced additional funding for East West Rail and further upgrades to roads across the region.
Deputy Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission Julia Prescot said:
“The Chancellor’s speech recognises that half measures on infrastructure will no longer cut the mustard. Accelerating investment in line with the Commission’s existing recommendations is essential: the government’s ten-year strategy in June, and its planning bill, must now give investors and contractors a clear picture of what happens next so they can invest in their skills and supply chains in anticipation.”
“The green light to unleash the Oxford to Cambridge corridor’s full economic potential is welcome after a number of false starts and I’m pleased the government’s ambition matches the scale of transformation we envisaged in our original report in 2017. It is essential that the transport, water and housing constraints on economic growth in one of the UK’s most productive areas are removed, and filling in the gaps on East West Rail, improving strategic roads and concerted action to secure the region’s water supplies are significant steps forward. The government’s compelling vision for the corridor must now be turned into a comprehensive economic plan.
“The government’s readiness to consider private finance options for the Lower Thames Crossing is also important; the Thames has been a pinch-point on our national road network for too long and a barrier to trade, so anything that helps get this project delivered as early as possible will be a boon for businesses across the country.”
The Commission’s original 2017 report Partnering for Prosperity identified opportunities to create well-designed, well-connected new communities and deliver one million new homes in the Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford Arc by 2050, while respecting the natural environment and without making changes to existing Green Belt protections. Central to this was a recommendation to government to complete the East-West Rail line connecting Oxford and Cambridge by 2030, along with the development of long term local transport plans for other key towns and cities in the Arc.