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Notional arc 50 miles NW-NE of London

The Oxford–Cambridge Arc (formerly the Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford corridor) is a notional arc of agricultural and urban land at about 80 kilometres (50 miles) radius of London, in south central England. It runs between the British university cities of Oxford and Cambridge via Milton Keynes and other settlements in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire at the northern rim of the London commuter belt. It is significant only in economic geography, with little physical geography in common.

The original Oxford to Cambridge (O2C) Arc initiative was launched in 2003 by three English regional development agencies (RDAs), EEDA, EMDA and SEEDA. The aim of the initiative is to promote and accelerate the development of the unique set of educational, research and business assets and activities that characterise the area and in doing so, create an "arc of innovation and entrepreneurial activity that would, in time, be 'best in the field'".

In November 2017, a report for the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) noted that, "in 2014, the Gross Value Added (GVA) of the "corridor" was £90.5bn (2011 prices); by doubling housebuilding rates in the area, and delivering East West Rail and the Oxford–Cambridge Expressway, this increase by £163bn to a GVA of £250bn". In February 2021, the Government announced plans to develop the concept further, but cancelled the Abingdon–Milton Keynes link of the expressway in March 2021. As of July 2022, East West Rail development continues but the (then) Minister has suggested that the Bedford–Cambridge leg could be cancelled.

Industry

The Arc is a major centre of the UK's high tech manufacturing and research industries. It is serviced by four international airports (Stansted, Luton, Heathrow and Birmingham), all located just outside the Arc itself. Cranfield Airport, Cambridge Airport and London Oxford Airport take executive jets. Cambridge Airport is an important centre for aircraft maintenance.

Other major industries include agriculture, tourism, construction, entertainment, education, retail and finance. A high proportion of the population commutes daily to London. Commuting and business travel within the arc is relatively difficult in the absence of east–west infrastructure.

Future

In 2017, the National Infrastructure Commission projected that the Arc will become host to major hi-tech industrial developments and will need to provide one million new homes by 2050, with Milton Keynes alone doubling in population to 500,000.

To facilitate this development (and wider national infrastructure needs for outer orbital routes around London), two major projects are underway or were planned. Work has begun to extend East West Rail from Bicester to the West Coast Main Line at Bletchley (Milton Keynes); onward extension to Cambridge is in detailed planning. Detailed route options planning began on the Oxford-Milton Keynes phase that is to complete the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway (linking the A34 south of Oxford with the A14 near Cambridge). However, in March 2021, the government cancelled this phase of the Expressway (though construction of the remaining phase of the M11–A1–M1 element continues).

In February 2021, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government issued a policy paper setting out "the government's planned approach to developing the Oxford–Cambridge Arc Spatial Framework". The paper identifies the arc as an economic powerhouse with three significant issues that need to be resolved: the natural environment and climate change; connectivity and infrastructure; and the availability of homes where they are most needed.

Universities

The Arc has a major university sector with 20,000 workers as part of the knowledge economy: Oxford University, Oxford Brookes University, Buckingham University, The Open University (HQ Milton Keynes), Cranfield University, University of Bedfordshire, the University of Cambridge, Anglia Ruskin University at Cambridge, and Northampton University.

Demographics

The Arc is one of the most ethnically diverse regions of the UK. Bedford, roughly central to the Arc and with a population of 100,000, is home to native speakers of over 100 languages, a figure which rivals London, Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. The Arc has the fastest growing population of any of the similar regions within the UK; several of the major towns and cities, most notably Bicester and Milton Keynes, are set to double in size over the coming few decades, and others, such as Cambourne, have been built from scratch since the late 1990s.

Politically, the Arc is largely a Conservative stronghold, with only the urban constituencies returning Liberal Democrat or Labour MPs.

Transport

Main articles: East West Rail and Oxford–Cambridge Expressway

The region is well served by major radial routes from London (the M40, M1, A1(M) and M11 motorways, and the West Coast Main Line, the Midland Main Line and the East Coast Main Line railways). However, routes around the arc are poor, with a disjointed and overloaded road network. and a fragmentary railway line (remnants of the former Varsity Line).

A twice-hourly express bus service, route X5, is operated by Stagecoach UK Buses from Oxford as far as Bedford but, with a rural service providing the Bedford–Cambridge link, taking almost five hours to travel the 85 miles (137 km) between the university cities.

In November 2017, in its report on the Arc, the NIC called for the railway line between Bicester and Bletchley to be reopened by 2023 and a new route between Bedford and Cambridge to be operational by 2030, and for the development and construction of a new grade separated dual carriageway between the M1 and Oxford by 2030, as part of a new Oxford–Cambridge Expressway. The Expressway was cancelled in March 2021. as of July 2022, construction of East West Rail between Bicester and Bletchley (Milton Keynes) remains under construction with entry into operation scheduled for 2025. As of July 2022, the route through Bedford to Cambridge is still in detailed planning but the Minister has cast doubt on whether earlier commitments will be honoured and construction proceed.

Major settlements

Oxfordshire

Northamptonshire

‡ Places served by X5 route. Since August 2020, the service terminates at Bedford. Passengers for Cambridge must transfer to a rural multi-stop service,
† Places planned to be served by East West Rail. As of August 2022, plans for Sandy/Tempsford/St Neots services via EWR have not been detailed.
* Places planned to be served by the Oxford Cambridge Expressway. As of August 2022, the route (if ever) of an Expressway between the M1 and the A34 is undecided. Locations shown above with an asterisk are on the A421/A428 route, which is already expressway standard.

References

As of February 2020 the proposed Oxford–Cambridge East West Rail service runs only between Oxford and Bicester. Of the proposed Oxford–Cambridge Expressway, the existing A428 road is expressway standard (grade separated dual carriageway) only between Cambridge and the A1198; the next section to the A1 near St Neots is a typical rural road. (On 18 February 2019, Highways England announced final route selection to replace the single-carriageway section from Caxton Gibbet to the A1, with construction to begin in 2022). The route resumes as an expressway between the A1 and the M1 at Junction 13. From there to the outskirts of Oxford, (as of February 2020), the route remains to be determined and may not go ahead.
The orbital route clockwise uses the A34 between M4 J13 and M40 J9 (causing significant environmental degradation at Botley). The route eastwards across J9 continues to Bicester as the A41 and in essence terminates there since the A41 diverts southeast to Aylesbury. Another route, the A43, leaves the M40 at J10 and heads northeast for Northampton. The A421 (the nominal orbital route) leaves the A43 near Croughton using a daisy-chain of mainly single carriageway roads with frequent roundabouts, passing through Buckingham and entering Milton Keynes. From here to the M1 at J13, the A421 is a dual carriageway and forms part of the Milton Keynes grid road system as the H8 Standing Way. From M1 J13 to the A14 at Girton (Cambridge), it is an (almost complete) expressway route across the A1 to join the A14. (At present, the A1–A14 link is numbered A428 but is to be renumbered as A421