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Project Hawking: Tripling the size of Ox-Cam by 2050

Going big on Ox-Cam is a bet on Britain’s future. If this Government is serious about jobs, productivity and living standards, Project Hawking is the ambition required. Read the proposal by James Howat, @johnrmyers.bsky.social and me here: britishprogress.org/briefings/pr...

britishprogress.org

The 100-mile corridor between Oxford and Cambridge is one of the most exciting stretches of land in the world — but today it isn’t doing enough for Britain’s economy as a whole.

Speed matters. Hawking DevCo would run a parallel regulatory system — a one-stop shop for approvals, environmental mitigation and utilities — so nationally significant growth actually happens.

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The Hawking Development Corporation would: • act as the supreme planning authority • coordinate housing, transport, water and nature at scale • report directly to the Chancellor • plan on 25-year horizons, not annual spending rounds Think Tennessee Valley Authority for 21st-century Britain.

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The proposal is deliberately bold: 🎯 Parliament sets a target to triple Ox-Cam GDP by 2050 🏗️ Delivery handed to a single, powerful Development Corporation 🪙Growth funded by land value capture, not taxpayers elsewhere We call it Project Hawking.

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Project Hawking breaks the cycle of high ambition and low delivery. By cutting through local vetoes and dysfunctional regulation, it creates a structure where ordinary people benefit most from growth.

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If Ox-Cam grows over the next 25 years as fast as Silicon Valley did in the last 25, it will transform Britain’s economy.

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If we try to stall or shrink Ox-Cam, the result won’t be balance - it will be stagnation. Britain will simply be left behind by faster, more confident competitors.

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Britain cannot be complacent. The region that developed the COVID-19 vaccine is one where junior workers can’t afford homes, transport limits opportunity, and slow bureaucracy strangles growth.

A screenshot of the Times coverage of the paper

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Research done in Ox-Cam creates jobs across Britain and pulls investment into the country. For example, new drug development by AstraZeneca in Cambridge supports manufacturing in Macclesfield and the Mersey.

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In one compact part of England we have world-leading life sciences, frontier AI and computing, and deep-tech manufacturing. What happens here matters far beyond it.

A map showing the industry clusters in the OxCam corridor

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The 100-mile corridor between Oxford and Cambridge is one of the most exciting stretches of land in the world - but it can do more for Britain’s economy as a whole.

Chart showing that Ox-Cam has the highest levels of scientific publications per capita in the world

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NEW @britishprogress.org and @labourtogether.bsky.social report! Project Hawking: how the Government can go big on Britain’s strengths and triple the economy of the Oxford–Cambridge Corridor.

AI generated image of Oxford - Cambridge rail connection

YIMBY Alliance @yimbyalliance.org · 16/12/2025

Reposted by Kane Emerson

NEW: Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has just announced the BIGGEST EVER reforms to national policy to deliver more homes! Here are the five biggest: 🧵

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook in the Commons

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Reposted by Kane Emerson

YIMBY Alliance @yimbyalliance.org · 18/12/2025

As a Christmas present to renters, we’ve build a new public zoomable map of rents per square metres in England and Wales! Have fun browsing and please share: yimbyalliance.org/2025/12/18/h...

yimbyalliance.org

How much space can you afford to rent? - YIMBY Alliance

A map of rent per square metre for renters in England and Wales If you rent, you probably don’t think in square metres. You think about how many bedrooms and space you can actually get for your monthl...

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Reposted by Kane Emerson

Marley Miller @marleygmiller.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

🚨New report with @homesfornorth calls on the government to adopt a novel approach to affordable housing investment: Giving Homes England a ‘National Affordable Housing Bank’ role to invest alongside the private sector in funds set up to deliver discounted rent homes. A 🧵on why this is needed:

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Reposted by Kane Emerson

Chris Curtis MP @chriscurtis94.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

The Sunday Times is right—Milton Keynes is one of the most exciting and innovative places in the Oxford-Cambridge Arc. A city built for growth, with the infrastructure, ambition, and economic strength to lead the UK’s next phase of development. www.thetimes.com/business-mon...

thetimes.com

New rail link, big tech sector — time to move to Milton Keynes?

The city straddling the Oxford-Cambridge corridor believes its forward-looking ethos will draw skilled people from both university cities

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This applies beyond housing - whether clean energy or transport, voters want to see how growth policies lower their monthly costs.

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🎯 Core message: Frame housing around tangible outcomes. "We'll build more homes so YOU can afford to buy" resonates more than abstract GDP arguments.

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It is clear that housing can deliver some of the most positive outcomes of growth: 💸Lower housing costs & inflation 🏡Higher living standards 🏙️Thriving towns and cities This is the narrative, not the housebuilding or the process to get there.

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Infrastructure and public services are the most tangible impact for many voters. New homes can contribute to this tangible growth! We need to value capture new development more effectively. Value capture can pay for the things voters want like new schools or roads.

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💡 Housing ranks low in public perception of growth drivers. Politicians need to better connect housing supply to cost-of-living benefits people can feel.

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🗣️ Direct quote from focus group: "We need opportunities to buy housing as well, getting off the rental [market]." People understand the link when it's about their ability to access homeownership.

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📊 Data shows voters care about outcomes, not process. They want to hear "we'll build more homes so YOU can afford to buy" rather than abstract arguments about housing supply boosting GDP.

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GGF's report shows housing policy has a major "growth gap" - people don't intuitively connect housebuilding to economic growth. It works best if framed around AFFORDABILITY.

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🏘️ Important new report on how people perceive economic growth. Key finding: Growth only matters if people can feel it in their daily lives. Housing is a perfect example...

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Building Homes in Oxford to Deliver Good Growth - UK Day One

The paper sets out some options for delivery - from development corporations to hybrid bills. What matters is action. Oxford could be a blueprint for how Britain delivers both homes and growth. 🏗️🚀 Read the full paper here: ukdayone.org/briefings/bu...

ukdayone.org

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Growing Oxford, expanding Heathrow, building new reservoirs and the Culham AI growth zone will drive national growth, a huge boost to the opportunities for British workers and businesses.

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This isn't unprecedented - Barcelona's Eixample and Edinburgh's New Town show how successful cities can grow sustainably while creating resilient communities.

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We need proper infrastructure: The Chancellor’s announcement to secure more funding for Abingdon reservoir will unlock thousands of more homes. Land value capture can also fund critically needed new sewage treatment and better public transport such as trams.

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The solution can be self-funding: The high value of Oxford property means infrastructure (transport, schools, healthcare) can be funded by capturing value from new development - any HMT funding for up front planning can be recouped.

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Oxford has 2000 hectares of non-flood plain land to its west with no special environmental status. Even a fraction of this could provide thousands of homes while protecting precious landscapes.

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The opportunity is massive: Every 1,000 new homes around Oxford (with proper infrastructure) would add 0.01% to national GDP. This isn't just about housing - it's about unleashing innovation and growth.

Oxford has captured 5% of ALL European life sciences VC investment over the last decade. But its population has only grown by 35k since 1980. We're strangling one of our most productive economic clusters.

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The problem is stark: Oxford home prices have jumped from 5x average annual salary in 1999 to nearly 14x today. This isn't just a housing crisis - it's holding back one of the UK's most innovative cities. (Image from @centreforcities.bsky.social)