‘Nothing new for Cambridgeshire’ in Chancellor announcement
The Chancellor’s announcement of a new Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor has been branded a “rehashing” of old Ox-Cam Arc proposals.
Councillor Bridget Smith (Liberal Democrat), leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, said she could see “nothing new” for Cambridgeshire in the government announcement.
Other local leaders have met the plans with optimism, including the Labour MP for Cambridge, Daniel Zeichner. He said commitments from government “represent a significant step forward” for the area.
Rachel Reeves announced plans for an Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor in a speech on Wednesday (January 29).
She said the area has the “potential to be Europe’s Silicon Valley” and could add up to £78billion to the UK economy by 2035.
The Chancellor said there were “far too many supply-side constraints on economic growth” in the region, which she said the government would fix.
Ms Reeves said new homes and improved transport infrastructure between the two cities were needed.
However, Cllr Smith said she could see “nothing new” in the specifics highlighted by the Chancellor, adding that growth corridor plans were “just rehashing the Ox-Cam Arc”.
She said: “We are already building the A428 upgrades, we know East West Rail is funded, we know we will be getting a new cancer hospital.
“What I am concerned about is that Rachel Reeves tried to give the impression that the Environment Agency is quite happy with the water situation.
“The truth of the matter is the Environment Agency have withdrawn their objections to the housing and development which is in our current local plan, but they have categorically not said that there is sufficient water for the housing and employment space in the joint emerging local plan, and never said anything about water supply for 150,000 houses the housing minister has been planning.
“On top of that there was no mention of the fact that Anglian Water is now objecting to developments on the grounds of insufficient capacity in their system for both sewage and rain water run off.”
Cllr Smith added that she was pleased the government “recognised the potential for economic growth in the area”. She said she wants to see some “hard cash” to deal with some of the “real problems” the area is facing, including access to health care and dentists.
Councillor Heather Williams (Conservative), leader of the opposition at the district council, said she was worried the Chancellor’s aspirations for development and growth in the area could be “catastrophic” for people in her constituency.
Cllr Williams said the timescales suggested would not give enough time for “proper consultation”, raising concerns that people in the area will not have a voice in what happens.
She said: “The Chancellor is in trouble so she has come to the Cambridge cash cow and that in itself is worrying.
“Yes we are very fortunate to live in an area that has such potential, and we always have been contributors to the economy in current times, and we should always seek to maximise that, but what we heard several times is a real fear for democracy and local voices.”
Concerns about the Chancellor’s announcement were raised by members of the Green Party in Cambridgeshire. Kathryn Fisher accused the Chancellor of “desperately scrabbling around for a magic growth bullet”.
She said: “She sees Cambridge as this magic bullet, but the city doesn’t need growth, it needs investment in social housing and infrastructure.
“We should be investing in the old industrial heartlands in the north by redeveloping post-industrial sites, not pumping even more money into one of the most unequal, nature-deprived and water-depleted cities in the country, by building million pound apartments all over the green belt.”
However, Mr Zeichner said the commitment from government “represents a significant step forward for Cambridge”.
He said: “Investment in transport, housing and research facilities will strengthen our city’s position as a global leader in science and technology while also unlocking a huge opportunity for local people to benefit from the region’s growth.
“It is crucial that we get the balance right – development must be sustainable, and infrastructure must keep pace with demand. I will continue to push for further investment in public transport, water security and affordable housing to ensure Cambridge remains a great place to live and work.”
Councillor Mike Davey (Labour), leader of Cambridge City Council, said the government needed to “learn from the mistakes” of the Ox-Cam Arc.
He said: “If the UK wants to remain competitive and grow to support investment in our public services the Government needs to think big. Whether it’s the Ox-Cam Arc or the Golden Triangle, Oxford-Cambridge-London, this is where the UK future growth sectors in AI, cyber, genomics, advanced manufacturing and life sciences are concentrated.
“The chancellor, rightly, has put a premium on investing in these growth sectors over the long term. But the government should also learn from the mistakes the previous government made on the Arc – we need to bring local communities with us and they need to see the benefits.”
Cllr Davey added that it was “critical to the country’s future” to “maximise the potential of Cambridge, but said there did need to be investment in the “hardware of the city”, including for affordable housing, and water and transport infrastructure.
Businesses have also reacted to the Chancellor’s ‘growth corridor’ announcement.
Mission Street CEO Artem Korolev, an investor in lab space in Cambridge, said: “The Government’s commitment to put the Oxford-Cambridge Arc back on the table is, we hope, a forerunner to concrete policy.
“A holistic strategy that spans the wider arc region is critical to capitalising on the research excellence in Oxford and Cambridge with a critical mass of businesses, investment, homes and infrastructure capable of competing with the world’s leading ecosystems.”
John Hartley, CEO of Levidian said: “Today’s announcement underscores the government’s commitment to fostering economic growth and innovation, which are vital to ensuring the UK remains a global leader in clean technology.
“As a Cambridge-based clean-tech business, we are eager to contribute to the success of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.
“To fully unleash the region’s potential, businesses need policies that reduce barriers to scaling up, reward innovation and drive investment in emerging technologies like hydrogen and carbon capture.
“By pairing today’s ambitions with decisive, near-term action, we can accelerate growth and build a globally competitive, green economy.”
Mark Hampson, head of commercial at real estate consultants Hollis, said: “Funding for life sciences in the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor is a huge bonus for the sector, but it comes with a really important caveat.
“There are so many life science buildings in Cambridge in particular that are in desperate need of renovation. Yes, build new sites but we must direct money to restoring what we already have.”
