Comment
Oxford-Cambridge Arc: Regional economic blueprints published
Amongst a flurry of pre-summer publications, last Friday saw five Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) publish their Local Industrial Strategies (LISs) [1].
Four of these regional strategies - Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, South East Midlands and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough - cover the Oxford-Cambridge Arc and were launched in the same week as the start of separate consultation on a 30 year transport strategy for the Arc region.
Planning Director, Tim Burden and Associate Director, Strategic Communications, Phil Brogan give their views on the implications of these strategies for the Oxford-Cambridge Arc:
“The publication of these four regional economic blueprints as a “family of linked strategies covering the Arc” is to be welcomed by investors and developers in the area as a clear demonstration of the regional commitment to the Oxford-Cambridge Arc. That said, the relationship between these strategies and local plan making remains somewhat unclear, and this may have implications for the labour force and also the provision of land and premises for the sectors that the Local Industrial Strategies are targeting. Confusingly, there is also some overlap between the four areas as the South East Midlands LIS includes both Northamptonshire and parts of Buckinghamshire, which is covered in its own LIS. Local Plans currently being examined are explicitly not considering the impact of the Arc on their current plan-period, with many, such as Central Bedfordshire, expecting to pick them up in a subsequent review.
“It will now be important to see how the LEPs, local councils and England’s Economic Heartland (as the Sub-national Transport Body) work together to ensure a consistent approach to investment and delivery in the Arc, and to start seeing allocations based on this initiative forming a key part of Local Plan making in the Arc.”
Tim Burden
“Against the ongoing national political and economic uncertainties, as well as the impending local government changes as Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire move to unitary councils, investors and developers will be looking for an early renewed commitment to the Oxford-Cambridge Arc by the new Prime Minister. However, it is clear from recent announcements that at a regional level political and economic stakeholders are seeking to work collaboratively to achieve the Arc’s potential. Those looking to deliver new infrastructure, commercial and residential investment in the Arc should therefore be looking to engage now at both a regional and local authority level to make the most of this opportunity.”
Phil Brogan
We are actively advising a range of clients across the Oxford-Cambridge Arc on projects that will contribute to achieving the Arc’s full economic potential. For more information please contact Tim Burden or Phil Brogan.
24 July 2019
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/local-industrial-strategies-to-drive-growth-across-the-country