Professor Sadie Morgan, a member of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), has called for central government-backed development corporations to bring forward the new settlements that will be needed to fulfil the growth plans for the OxMkCam arc corridor.

Speaking at the Oxford Cambridge Corridor Economic Growth Conference she said the Secretary of State for Communities should act in the national interest to designate new settlements if local agreement cannot be secured on where they should be located, saying: ‘’There’s little chance that the market will deliver new settlements without government intervention. It should be about identifying where new settlements should be located and not allowing vested interests to dilute the case for new developments or stall delivery.’’

Morgan added: ‘’It’s vital that the government and local authorities work together to determine the right delivery vehicle with the largest new settlements backed by a statutory development corporation with planning and compulsory purchase powers and control over the land on which settlements will be delivered.’’

The case for new settlements, which was echoed by Iain Stewart MP, is ‘clear’ said Morgan: ‘’They provide the best way to unlock development at scale and pace. We simply won’t deliver the scale of development we require if we focus new development on the fringes of existing towns and cities.’’

As a first step she said councils and the national Government should work together on identifying the sites for new development whilst highlighting the need for longer term visibility over the scheduling of key local and national infrastructure beyond existing road and rail investment planning periods.

Morgan, whose architecture practice dRMM won the 2017 Stirling Prize, finished her keynote speech by reiterating the importance of the conference and corridor by saying: ‘’If we get this right we can transform this area. If we miss the opportunity we risk this area being left behind its international competitors.’’