Afternoon, Wednesday, 16th December 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for the development of the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor. It follows increased government funding and wider commitments, with plans progressing for major housing, transport and infrastructure development alongside new arrangements for strategic planning and delivery. Areas for discussion will include priorities for housing and infrastructure, the sequencing and funding of major development, governance and local decision-making, and approaches to supporting investment, innovation and economic development across the region.
The conference will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to examine priorities for coordinating the key enablers of growth across the corridor, including the coordination of housing, transport, utilities and public services, access to development and infrastructure finance, and the effectiveness of emerging governance and delivery arrangements. Delegates will consider these issues in the context of the proposed new towns at Tempsford and Milton Keynes, East West Rail, and further provision for water and electricity, including priorities for coordinating infrastructure provision and development funding with the timing and sequencing of housing, infrastructure and major development projects.
Discussion will also examine priorities for governance and delivery in the region, including the establishment of the Greater Cambridge Development Corporation, forthcoming consultation on a Greater Oxford Development Corporation, and developments in devolution and local government reorganisation. Attendees will consider how emerging arrangements can support strategic planning and investment across local authority boundaries, provide clarity over responsibilities and decision-making, and enable effective engagement with businesses, communities and other stakeholders affected by major development.
Further sessions will assess approaches to supporting the corridor’s position as a globally significant centre for science, technology and innovation, including research commercialisation, the growth and retention of high-growth businesses, access to investment, skills and suitable infrastructure. The programme will also consider the capacity and resilience of essential infrastructure to support planned development, including water supply, energy and transport, and priorities for investment and delivery over the longer-term.
Housing, infrastructure & planning
Sessions will examine priorities for delivering housing and employment growth across the corridor, including the coordination of major development with the transport, utilities and public services needed to support it.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- new towns:
- proposed developments at Tempsford and Milton Keynes - implications of the draft New Towns Programme, New Towns Planning Policy and Strategic Environmental Assessment
- priorities for sites not taken forward at this stage - planning, infrastructure and delivery arrangements
- land & delivery:
- targeting of the up to £800m of corridor funding for land acquisition and infrastructure - use of compulsory purchase powers where land cannot be assembled by agreement
- enabling works and infrastructure finance - development viability and investment certainty
- planning reform:
- changes to the National Planning Policy Framework - implementation of the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025
- implications for decision-making, development certainty and cross-boundary planning
- infrastructure sequencing: coordinating housing with transport, energy, water and public services - timing and dependencies between major projects - responsibilities for funding and delivery
- connectivity: East West Rail and associated development - station and transport connections - access to employment and major growth locations - integration with wider transport priorities
- energy & digital:
- electricity and grid capacity - requirements associated with science, technology and data-intensive development
- data centres and other major projects - use of the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime
- delivery capacity: construction and infrastructure workforce - supply-chain capacity - project phasing - managing delivery risk across multiple major schemes
Development corporations & governance
The conference will assess how developing governance and delivery arrangements may affect strategic planning, investment and decision-making across the corridor.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- Greater Cambridge:
- operation of the newly established Greater Cambridge Development Corporation - proposed transfer of planning functions
- scope of the Planning Functions Order - relationship with existing council powers - local accountability and representation
- Greater Oxford: forthcoming consultation on a development corporation - potential remit and powers - alternative delivery arrangements - implications for local decision-making and investment
- development corporations: land, planning and infrastructure functions - coordination with councils and strategic authorities - capacity and expertise - accountability for long-term delivery
- local government:
- current review of reorganisation proposals in parts of the corridor - implications for timetables and institutional certainty
- continuity of strategic planning and delivery - interaction with development corporations and devolution
- devolution:
- implementation of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 - established mayoral strategic authority status for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
- developing fiscal powers and funding arrangements - implications for corridor-wide priorities
- cross-boundary working:
- spatial planning across local authority areas - alignment of housing, infrastructure and economic priorities
- mechanisms for resolving competing demands - links with national infrastructure planning
- accountability & engagement:
- local representation and scrutiny - engagement with communities, businesses, landowners and infrastructure providers
- transparency around major decisions - clarity over responsibility
Innovation, investment & economic development
Further sessions will consider priorities for strengthening innovation-led growth across the corridor and supporting businesses to start, scale and remain in the region, drawing on the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor Investment Prospectus and the Oxford-Cambridge Supercluster Board’s Vision for the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- commercialisation: university-industry collaboration - routes from research to market - proof-of-concept and early-stage support - technology transfer capability and founder support
- scale-up: access to later-stage finance - availability of workspace - management and specialist skills - barriers to retaining growing businesses in the corridor
- investment readiness: attracting domestic and international capital - priorities in life sciences, advanced manufacturing, clean energy and digital - coordination of local and national propositions
- connectivity:
- links between Oxford, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Bedford and other centres - movement of people, ideas and investment
- access to research facilities and innovation assets - connections between established and emerging clusters
- Culham: development of the AI Growth Zone - grid and infrastructure requirements - links with research and business growth - implications for investment and local employment
- skills & workforce: access to technical and specialist skills - recruitment and retention - links with universities, further education and employers - housing and transport considerations affecting labour supply
- visitor economy: Universal Bedford and associated investment - transport and infrastructure requirements - local business and employment opportunities
- wider economic benefits: local supply chains and procurement - regional distribution of investment - links between major projects and surrounding economies
Water, environment & communities
The programme will also consider how resource capacity, environmental requirements and community interests affect the delivery and location of major development across the corridor.
Overall, areas for discussion include:
- water supply: resource availability - interim capacity ahead of major new supply - demand management and leakage reduction - implications for planned housing and employment development
- water infrastructure: Fens Reservoir and wider supply projects - wastewater capacity and treatment - investment requirements - delivery timescales - coordination with location and timing of development
- water reform: responsibilities and performance of water companies - developing regulatory arrangements - future ownership and public-control models - implications for investment, accountability and planning
- drought & resilience: preparedness for prolonged dry conditions - security of supply - contingency planning - implications of climate change for future water resource assumptions
- flood & climate risk: flood protection and drainage - climate adaptation of new infrastructure and settlements - resilience standards - responsibilities for investment and maintenance
- nature & biodiversity: biodiversity and nature recovery requirements - ecological impacts of major projects - environmental assessment and mitigation - strategic approaches across the corridor
- communities, place & participation:
- housing affordability and potential displacement - timing of infrastructure and public services alongside new housing - access to employment and economic opportunities
- consultation and community involvement - concerns over local democratic control and decision-making
- heritage and local character - landowner interests - distribution of the costs and benefits of major development
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates.
