Government should rethink approach to Oxford-Cambridge Arc, says CPRE

Commenting on the Oxford-Cambridge growth arc spatial framework, released today, Paul Miner, head of land use and planning at CPRE, the countryside charity, said:

‘The Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor is the first real test for the government’s ambitions to improve the quality of new housing and developments. These developments should be low carbon, healthy, nature friendly and fit for the future.

While ‘sustainable transport’ is frequently mentioned in the Policy Paper, it is clear there is no real commitment to public-transport-orientated development. We risk creating isolated car dependent settlement in the middle of nowhere. Worse still, most of the proposed development would be on greenfield land, including valuable farmland, harming progress in tackling the climate and nature emergencies.

That’s why we’re calling on the government to fundamentally rethink its approach. This could be done by prioritising affordable homes on brownfield land that are linked with low carbon transport that are bursting with green space and nature.’

Further information

For further information, case studies or to interview a spokesperson please contact:
Jonathan Jones, CPRE Media Relations Lead, 07739332796