- Government should work with local authorities to put in place an independent design panel for East West Rail, the Expressway and new and expanded settlements across the arc by April 2018. This panel should work in concert with existing infrastructure design panels and new development corporations to specify, scrutinise and challenge settlement designs, plans and delivery, with a view to:
- making most efficient use of new and existing infrastructure (including transport and utilities)
- supporting positive social outcomes (including better mental and physical health)
- achieving net gains in biodiversity and natural capital across the arc
- improving quality of life for existing and future residents
- Government should establish arrangements for the long-term stewardship of valued community assets in each new or expanded settlement, placing responsibility and resources in the hands of the community – learning from both the Parks Trust in Milton Keynes and the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation
- It should ensure that strategic infrastructure, including new elements of East West Rail and the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway, are planned and developed to achieve net gains in biodiversity and natural capital across the arc.
Effective placemaking should deliver well-connected, sensitively designed new places
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