Backlash at plan for 1m homes between Oxford and Cambridge

AN area of countryside the size of Birmingham will be lost under plans to build a million new homes on land between Oxford and Cambridge, campaigners have claimed.

The National Infrastructure Commission has recommended the creation of new towns between the cities by 2050 in a £5.5billion development.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England said it would mean the loss of 67,000 acres of farmland and woodland. The Government is expected to approve the scheme on Monday.

Analysis by the CPRE suggests there is capacity for just 50,000 houses on previously developed – or brownfield – land within the area known as the Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge Corridor, also called the Growth Arc. There are some 230,000 homes currently proposed or being built across the swathe of land.

To meet the one million target would require a huge boost to building – most of which would be on open countryside.

CPRE also said that just 2,200 ‘affordable’ homes are being created each year in the area, despite local authorities identifying a need for 12,000 such properties.

Paul Miner, of CPRE, said: ‘If given the green light, this development will change the face of England’s countryside forever.

‘Whilst there will be a need for genuine affordable housing to meet local need in the area, the scale of these proposals is com- pletely unacceptable.’ He said no formal environmental assessment or public consultation had taken place around developing the Arc, although it will cost at least £5.5billion in public money.

CPRE is demanding a public debate about whether spending huge sums on developing the area is right, given that it is already attractive to employers and has a buoyant housing market.

It insisted the £3.5billion earmarked for the ‘expressway’ to link the cities would be better spent on improving public transport and restoring the East-West rail line rather than locking in carbon emissions, pollution and car-dependency.

Mr Miner called for a strategic environmental assessment of the plans. He stressed: ‘It must look at the impacts of both the proposed housing and transport development on the countryside, people’s health and well-being, and climate change in a holistic manner. Critically, we need much stronger commitments to protecting and improving the unique and precious rural landscapes in the Arc.’

Communities Secretary James Brokenshire said: ‘Building the homes our country needs does not mean tearing up vast tracts of our countryside. The Oxford- Cambridge Arc is an opportunity to further strengthen rural economies, enhance the environment and benefit local communities.

‘Our new planning rulebook strengthens protections for the Green Belt and we have set out our ambition to ensure housing projects are more environmentally friendly.’