It is welcomed that the Councils are preparing the Local Plan having consideration for the wider regional context. The “Government for the Oxford-Cambridge Arc” (“the OxCam Arc”) is listed at page 11 of the Councils’ ‘Duty to Cooperate Statement of Common Ground’ (“the Duty to Cooperate”) as a relevant body with whom liaison is required when considering the spatial strategy and potential implication on cross-boundary matters. The importance of this is highlighted at page 11 of the Duty to Cooperate which states “in principle, the levels and location of housing and employment growth could have cross-boundary implications particularly due to the resulting commuting patterns”. Page 13 of the Duty to Cooperate identifies that engagement has taken place with “neighbouring and nearby authorities within the Arc, but not more widely with the Arc as a whole”. The Councils identify that this reflects “the wide geography and related nature of responsibilities” and that “it would also be somewhat challenging to identify and engage with relevant stakeholders who would be able to provide input to the Greater Cambridge duty to cooperate from an Arc-wide perspective, or else to identify an appropriate forum to discuss such issues”.

As the Councils are aware (as referenced at section 1.2 of the First Proposals), in July 2021 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, now known as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, commenced scoping consultation on the ‘Oxford-Cambridge Arc Spatial Framework’. The consultation sought views on what the vision for the future growth of the OxCam Arc should be to 2050, to be delivered through the OxCam Arc Spatial Framework. The consultation did not identify specific growth targets or give any indication as to where within the OxCam Arc this growth should be focused. It is anticipated that this will be addressed at later stages in the formulation of the OxCam Arc Spatial Framework. However, it is imperative that the Councils are actively engaged in a forum for such discussions whilst preparing the Local Plan, as the Arc Spatial Framework evolves to set the growth ambitions for the wider regional area up until 2050. The Church Commissioners for England suggest that whilst “challenging”, in order to ensure compliance with paragraph 16 of the NPPF which requires Plans to be shaped by “early, proportionate and effective engagement” between plan-makers and stakeholders, the Councils should seek to identify or establish a suitable forum for engaging with the Government for the OxCam Arc.