Hope for the Ox-Cam Corridor?
A ‘supreme planning authority’ could revive the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor…
The Oxford–Cambridge Corridor has long been promoted as one of the UK’s greatest untapped economic opportunities. Stretching across roughly 100 miles and connecting two world-leading university cities, the corridor has the potential to become a powerhouse for science, technology, innovation and housing delivery. Yet despite ambitious plans first outlined nearly a decade ago, progress on a truly strategic vision has stalled.
In 2017, the National Infrastructure Commission proposed building up to one million new homes across what was then called the OxCam Arc, by 2050. The idea was to match infrastructure investment with housing and employment growth, creating a globally competitive region similar to California’s Silicon Valley. While the proposals were initially welcomed, political momentum faded. By 2021, the plans had been quietly shelved, and development since then has been fragmented and largely uncoordinated.
Paul Smith at Apex Planning Consultants argues that this loss of strategic direction has been the core problem. He notes that from the very beginning, delivery depended on too many separate bodies working together – local authorities, highways agencies, rail operators, environmental regulators, landowners and developers. Without strong leadership from the centre, no single organisation had the authority or responsibility to align priorities, agree growth targets, or coordinate infrastructure. The result, he says, has been “a myriad of disjointed, small scale and ad-hoc developments” rather than a coherent regional strategy.
Project Hawking
This is why a new proposal from Labour Together, an influential Labour think tank, has attracted significant attention. The group is calling for the creation of a powerful development corporation to act as a ‘supreme planning authority’ for the corridor. This body, dubbed the Hawking Development Corporation (as it links the two universities that span physicist Stephen Hawking’s career), would be given responsibility for setting the overall vision, granting planning permissions, coordinating infrastructure and even managing environmental regulation across the region.
The report argues that a single, well-resourced organisation reporting directly to the Chancellor would cut through political complexity and institutional gridlock. Rather than seeking permission from multiple local bodies, the corporation would consult local leaders but retain ultimate decision-making power. Its remit would include land acquisition, planning, development and investment over a 25-year horizon.
Paul believes this approach could genuinely rejuvenate the corridor concept. In his view, the original idea failed not because it lacked merit, but because it lacked delivery mechanisms. A development corporation with real authority could finally bring together housing numbers, transport investment, environmental management and commercial growth into one strategic framework. Importantly, it could also provide the long-term certainty needed for major investors and infrastructure providers.
Self-Financing & Sustainable
The think tank also proposes that the corporation be largely self-funding, using land value capture to finance development. By buying land, securing planning permission and reinvesting uplift in value, the corporation could generate revenue while reducing reliance on public spending. This model has historical precedent in post-war new towns and urban regeneration schemes.
With ministers reportedly considering the proposal, the idea of a supreme planning authority may finally return the Oxford–Cambridge Corridor to the national agenda. After years of drift, the combination of political backing and a strong institutional structure could be what is needed to turn a promising concept into a delivered reality. As Paul suggests, without top-down coordination, the corridor will continue to underperform. With it, the region could once again become one of the UK’s most ambitious growth projects.
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