Plan for a million houses between Oxford and Cambridge puts countryside at risk

The plans could lead to the loss of 67,000 acres of greenfield farmland and woodland
The plans could lead to the loss of 67,000 acres of greenfield farmland and woodland
ALAMY

A million new homes between Oxford and Cambridge would destroy an area of countryside larger than Birmingham, campaigners have warned.

That is the number of homes the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has recommended by 2050 to boost economic growth in an area known as the “Oxford-Cambridge Arc”.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England said this would result in the loss of 67,000 acres of greenfield farmland and woodland. It found that there was capacity for only 50,000 houses on previously developed land within the arc.

About 230,000 homes are already proposed or under construction in the area, so meeting the one million target would require a huge increase in building, most of which would be on open countryside.

The CPRE added that only 2,200 affordable