The controversial Oxford-Cambridge Expressway was cancelled in March but the Government retains its original ambition to increase economic output of the Oxford to Cambridge region by an amount that requires more than one million workers and an aspirational one million houses, with Cambridgeshire’s share (271,000) increasing by more than 80% the entire housing stock of the county by 2050.  Key documents released in February of this year outline a framework spatial plan for the Ox-Cam Arc and a regional transport strategy to improve both road and rail connections across the region.  Plans imagine ‘doubling nature’ in places by 2050, but this will only come at the cost of losing other areas to development.  Do we really have to sell nature to save it?  Biodiversity Net Gain and Natural Capital Accounting methods are poor and inaccurate defences; they are like bows and arrows against the tanks of the development industry. (44:14 mins) 

The talk itself is available here (click on the image). A longer version with the Q&A session following the talk, is now available in the News section of our website here

For more information about the Oxford-Cambridge Arc plans please visit the Stop the Arc website here.