We know location matters when making an investment decision. Whether it’s a site for a new factory, head office or the purchase of an income producing property investment. I believe I have developed good experience as an advisor to clients on this subject. One does need not only to consider existing factors that bring benefits to a particular location but also to take account of anticipated changes. One such change I have been keeping an eye on is the Government’s proposal for the Oxford to Cambridge arc.
The route of the proposed Express Way (Oxford to Milton Keynes section) has just been narrowed down and it is well worth spending time to appreciate the proposals for the arc now known as CaMKOx (pronounced Camkox). Oxford, Milton Keynes and Cambridge are already considered top places for investment but have the intermediate towns been identified? Some of these towns are very unfashionable destinations compared to the University cities at each end of the arc. The likes of Aylesbury, Bedford, Bicester, Bletchley, Leighton Buzzard and Winslow are poised to see significant population and business growth if the Government’s ambition of creating conditions for one million new homes across the arc is realised. These ambitions will need the construction of new settlements as well probably on fields somewhere between Bicester, Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard I would anticipate. Locally with my base in North Oxfordshire I am aware the County will be taking its share of new homes over the next 30 years. Housing and business space development takes time to be planned and built but via my work with the local Chamber of Commerce I am calling for all the required infrastructure to be in place to support it all (not simply a new road).
The full report from 2017 is available at https://www.nic.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Partnering-for-Prosperty.pdf
The route of the proposed Express Way (Oxford to Milton Keynes section) has just been narrowed down to one from Abingdon to south Milton Keynes via Winslow. The outstanding question for consultation is whether this passes to the south east or to the west of Oxford. This decision will be made in 2019. See the map
