Central England "Megaplan"

[Howardh]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45991203

A controversial mega-development of homes, offices and roads across central England is being backed by the Transport Secretary, Chris Grayling.

Up to a million new homes could be built along the Oxford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Cambridge arc.

A new expressway would also shorten journey times from East to West.

Government advisers say the developments are needed to safeguard the booming economies of the UK’s science and technology hub.

But environmentalists argue that the mega-plan will ruin green space the size of Birmingham. And they ask if wealthy towns need to become ever more rich.

That'll please the locals?

 

[Bletchleyite]

It would be quite nice to see one of the "new cities" designed from the outset for public transport and cycling rather than the car, as a trial of an "anti-Milton-Keynes"

 

[Howardh]

We were supposed to be getting a new city Chorley/Leyland/Preston but that never happened, save for the towns increasing in size gradually towards each other naturally.

 

[The_Train]

I'm all for progress and development but those in charge of this sort of thing seem to be very quick to earmark new plots of land to build 'mega-developments' on when there is plenty of land being taken up by derelict buildings. This country is not massive in the grand scheme of things and being an island is very limited on available space so surely we should be clearing away ugly, derelict buildings to create space before eating away at areas in the green belt?

I know a counter argument in this case would be that it's unlikely there are enough derelict buildings close enough together for them to have the space to create a 'mega-development' and I don't really have an answer to that but it is annoying to see such a vast amount of space taken up by derelict buildings that people in power seem to just want to ignore

 

[Bletchleyite]

We were supposed to be getting a new city Chorley/Leyland/Preston but that never happened, save for the towns increasing in size gradually towards each other naturally.

Though there was of course Buckshaw, I think the demand for housing in the South East probably makes that easier to sell. There are still houses for next to nothing in Preston, including in some quite reasonable areas.

 

[HumberSprinter]

I saw that on BBC too. I thought the article appeared to forget about publishing these plans, where exactly will the expressway go etc?
Also since when is the south east called "Central England"?

 

[Howardh]

I saw that on BBC too. I thought the article appeared to forget about publishing these plans, where exactly will the expressway go etc?
Also since when is the south east called "Central England"?

That's a whole another debate, being from Oopnorth anywhere north of Hemel Hempstead is the midlands!

 

[deltic]

I saw that on BBC too. I thought the article appeared to forget about publishing these plans, where exactly will the expressway go etc?
Also since when is the south east called "Central England"?

This BBC article shows the corridors - AFAIK only a broad corridor has been chosen so far not an exact allignment

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-45498594

 

[Typhoon]

So the aim is to

create vital jobs, skills and housing.

according to the government as reported in the above source.
Why are 'vital jobs' being created in an area of low unemployment? Why are skills being created (developed?) in areas which are near the top of the qualifications ratings in the most recent census? All that will happen is that more skilled people will be lured from the north/ midlands/ south west/ Wales/ Scotland/ abroad, services will be squeezed, schools will be blamed for a 'skills shortage' in the area - not everyone can be a nuclear scientist or a brain surgeon, the housing will be inadequate so prices will rocket, developers will want more land for housing and more new roads.
I guess the attraction is Oxford and Cambridge and their universities - why not base it around Birmingham (B'ham and Aston Unis), or Manchester or Leeds or Newcastle where, doubtless, there are people with potential that has not been reached because the only way to really get on is to move out (exaggeration, I know). As has been stated above, there are many places outside the south east where houses really are affordable - not the £400,000+ in the south east - and near the alternatives that I have suggested. What's worse - no HS2 stop nearby - big slip up there.

 

[Howardh]

This BBC article shows the corridors - AFAIK only a broad corridor has been chosen so far not an exact allignment

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-45498594

How many Tory marginals will this corridor go through??

 

[Typhoon]

How many Tory marginals will this corridor go through??

Sir, you are not suggesting this is being one for political advantage are you? I am shocked!

 

[Howardh]

Sir, you are not suggesting this is being one for political advantage are you? I am shocked!

Actually, quite the opposite when all those who live in Nimby get cracking! Where's Swampy these days??

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Where's Swampy these days??

According to Wikipedia: Living in a commune in Wales.

 

[Edders23]

How many Tory marginals will this corridor go through??

we'll find out at the next election how marginal

 

[Edders23]

the problem will be that the Cambridge to Oxford Link will be all but impossible to reinstate east of Bedford unless a completely brand new line is built and I can't think of any realistic routings that that can take because nearly every village and town that it might route through has expanded considerably anyway unless they effectively bypass every existing town and build completely new towns with stations on the route

This is supposed to be to encourage high tech industrial development close to the two unis but quite frankly is a crazy plan the A428/A421 corridor is already stretched to capacity and the areas either side of that are already heavily developed so apart from green fields I can't see where the land is available but the article claimed green belt would be protected

unless of course the politicians want to make a few of their land owning supporters rich which is probably a more realistic reason behind the plan


If they seriously want to create a large number of new homes and high tech industrial parks there is probably far more scope along the Northern Corridor I would have thought

 

[Typhoon]

Actually, quite the opposite when all those who live in Nimby get cracking! Where's Swampy these days??

They don't seem to have had much effect on HS2. The real 'winner' will be where this route crosses HS2 - homes now blighted twice!

 

[Busaholic]

We should know by now where anything backed by Chris Grayling is going - precisely nowhere, but only after a great deal of verbiage and probably many millions of pounds has been wasted on it! Will we never learn?

 

[chorleyjeff]

We were supposed to be getting a new city Chorley/Leyland/Preston but that never happened, save for the towns increasing in size gradually towards each other naturally.

Blimey. That was nearly half a century ago. I remember assisting with associated property valuations ( me in car passenger seat writing down figures as boss drove car and shouted out valuations )

 

[Bletchleyite]

where houses really are affordable - not the £400,000+ in the south east

Other than in and around Oxford/Cambridge themselves, you can buy a reasonable family home for a lot less than that around much of the area under discussion. A fair bit less if you consider Northampton part of it - a bit further out and quite a lot cheaper even than MK, which itself is cheap for the South East.