Ministers should have bitten the proverbial and called it the OxCamArc – because that’s what it is. And everyone involved is going to try and come up with an acronym or a term that is shorter than “Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor”
You can browse through the prospectus here.
I’ve written lots about the OxCamArc over the years. It was a project of the Boris Johnson Government between 2019-22 as he searched around desperately trying to find something that could deliver post-Brexit growth.
“The Oxford-Cambridge Arc (the Arc) is a globally significant area between Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge. It is formed of five ceremonial counties: Oxfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire. It supports over two million jobs, adds over £110 billion to the economy every year and houses one of the fastest growing economies in England.”
Above – the OxCamArc as per February 2021 from the Boris Johnson Government
“What happened to the Arc?”
The normally safe-as-military-fortresses blue -voting districts and counties were horrified at the huge levels of economic growth and house-building proposed. The proposed new motorway – the Ox-Cam-Expressway became a symbol and target for opponents.
Above – have a browse of what we avoided (The report has maps to look at)
In the end, the proposals were dropped. Transport Secretary Michael Green Grant Shapps made the announcement only after £27million had been spent on early technical studies and consultation work. Which makes me wonder how much money is blown on such consultants’ studies that ultimately result in nothing (and could easily have been avoided).
“How’s East-West-Rail going?”
Slowly it seems. That said, the latest on East West Rail is likely to be discussed in Cambridge on 06 December 2025 at Rail Future East Anglia’s annual Cambridge regional meeting – see details here.
Above – Rail Future East Anglia Branch. Are you a regular rail traveller or a rail commuter? Know someone who is? Point them to their back catalogue of newsletters (& consider joining)
We know that Tempsford – near Bedford, will be a new town located on the East West Rail Line
This was confirmed by the Housing Secretary at the Labour Party Conference
Above – New Towns Task Force (2025) p46 – locations of proposed newtowns and major urban expansions *Note local and regional government including housing and new towns are devolved matters for the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament.
“What does the new Ox-Cam report contain?”
It’s not a report as such – more an investors’ prospectus trying to attract investment and skilled workers mainly in the sci-tech-engineering sectors
The Cambridge case studies
One of the things the diagram on p7 reveals between the lines are the poor transport links between Cambridge and Peterborough. Which makes me wonder what the Combined Authority has got to show for itself since its creation eight years ago.
Above – detail of a visualisation of the growth corridor, p7
The key on the previous page indicates where ‘place-making’ will take place. North-South rail indicates already-existing railway lines from London. As things stand, there hasn’t been much work done on the proposed eastern section of East West Rail from Cambridge.
Above – detail of a visualisation of the growth corridor, p6
Interestingly, Tempsford is not mentioned on this diagram. Which is striking given the announcement was made nearly a month ago and was widely trailed before then.
East of Cambridge
The news wasn’t good from the Eastern Daily Press – the Transport Secretary pouring cold water on work for the east-of-Cambridge section of EWR. This followed the submission by Transport East of their proposals for that eastern section.
Above – Transport East from July 2025
It’s not like there haven’t been various business and tech alliances trying to get something done about the underfunded transport infrastructure east of Cambridge.
Above – the Cambridge Norwich Tech Corridor, and the Eastern Powerhouse, the latter launched by former CPCA Mayor James Palmer
I’m almost embarrassed for the people involved because other than lobby ministers and invite other people to lobby ministers, there’s very little of substance they can do practically to get the transport infrastructure upgraded. The revenue-raising levers at a local or regional level simply are not there. Hence the frustration of the CPCA Mayor Paul Bristow when the long overdue upgrade to Ely Junction was not approved for funding earlier this year.
Over-centralisation of spending decisions
This for me reflects the challenges of an over-centralised state: everyone is waiting for ministers to take the initiative. No one else can. As a result you have *massive* diseconomies of scale as ministers try to reduce the administrative size of the state without realising that doing so cuts the policy-making capacities.
What would be far better is for a regional tier of whatever size having its own revenue-raising powers or substantial formula grant funding to pay for the preparatory work that always seems to take far longer than is necessary. At least that way you’d move away from the concept of local and regional tiers being the delivery agent of central government. Under the current model, there is very little independence. So much has to be rubber-stamped by ministers.
…Such as the local growth plans, of which the draft Cambridgeshire & Peterborough one is being discussed by the CPCA on 22 Oct 2025
I wrote about it here – noting both the lack of any mention of the arts as a sector, while highlighting the presence of two new concert halls.
You can read the meeting papers here which have since been updated to include the public questions of which one is being asked on my behalf.
“Please could the CPCA Board liaise with the Marshall Group to see if there is an opportunity to locate a beautiful new large concert hall on the airport site (assuming their move goes ahead) near to the proposed Cambridge East Railway Station (which would enable a direct service from Peterborough and Ely following that line’s proposed upgrade in the eastern section of East West Rail). This could create a new civic quarter along with a new large lifelong learning college that I have been lobbying the CPCA over for years as well”
Above – from the text of my public question (item 3) by the CPCA 22 Oct 2025
Additionally, the Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance (see their member campaign groups here) has one asking about active travel.
“Will the Mayor strengthen the Local Growth Plan by including a project on the creation of joined-up networks of high quality walking, wheeling and cycling routes in Cambridge and Peterborough, key market towns and their surrounding areas?”
Note this also follows last week’s Greater Cambridge Partnership Assembly meeting here. The GCP Board meets on 06 November 2025 in Cambridge at The Guildhall from 4pm.
Take your pick as to which meetings to follow or attend.
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