Oxford Cambridge Growth Corridor Report part two
image: Silverstone Park and the Silverstone Formula One Circuit in Northamptonshire- courtesy of Silverstone Park / MEPC
The second part of our Oxford Cambridge Growth Corridor Report features discussion around the potential for investing pension fund money in the further development for Milton Keynes, best practice in housing design and the nature-based approach to development. It involved Milton Keynes City Council, David Lock Associates, Grimshaw and MEPC. East West Rail Company and Sheppard Robson were also involved. It is part of a Future Cities Forum series that includes discussions with government, local authorities, developers, infrastructure operators and planners in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
David Lock Associates' Partner Heather Pugh has been commenting on the UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves' announcement reinforcing the Government’s recognition that infrastructure and investment underpins the growth of the UK economy. She said:
'As a planning and urban design practice based in Milton Keynes, and with live projects for both the public and private sector running throughout what was previously referred to as the Arc, we particularly welcomed the renewed commitment to an Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor as the canvas upon which ‘Europe’s Silicon Valley’ is to be brought to life.
'We recognise the challenges around transport links quoted by Reeves, and these have undoubtedly impacted economic growth. This is compounded by a series of ‘failures to commit’ to the preparation of strategic growth and infrastructure plans more widely covering the ‘grey’, ‘green’ and ‘blue’ infrastructure within growth areas, including in the Corridor since the removal of the layer of regional and sub-regional planning in 2010.
'We urge Ms Reeves to consider how the economic return on investment in transport and services within the Growth Corridor could be cranked up a notch. Firstly by the strategic integration of land use and transport plans more generally, unlocking the interplay of green blue and grey infrastructure in its broadest sense to realise greater benefits. Secondly by extending government support for and investment in local ambitions for intermodal transport connectively, such as Milton Keynes’ plans for a city-scale MRT network to fully capture the local economic benefit of investment such as East West Rail.'
Heather told Future Cities Forum:
'We are not very good in this country dealing with the interface between rail and homes. We need to concentrate on how you plan the infrastructure around housing because we have ended up in the Oxford to Cambridge Corridor with problems. We need to integrate the growth plans. Winslow is an example of somewhere with no strategic plan about what it could be as a place. There are now conversations much more about last mile delivery, how many people could use a station etc. It is all about typologies of growth. We have certainty from East West Rail now about what will happen and the routes are being narrowed down.
Will Gallagher, Director of Strategy from East West Rail commented:
'I agree about Winslow but we now have a lot of money from the Treasury to work with local authorities. We are looking at Bletchley, Central Beds and Tempsford to name a few and these stations have to be more than what they are. They need to be helpful in funding economic strategies, so that the design of a station is better integrated. If you look purely in an engineering focussed way you might approach Cambridge from the North, but we didn't do that because we had a bigger vision, and we are also looking at Tempsford with not the cheapest approach. This is the work going on right now and it leans in more. You also need to think about how you manage ongoing development.'
The roundtable contributors were asked about the UK government's initiative to make stations work harder as infrastructure by building science hubs and housing around them.
Cllr Marland said:
'I don't necessarily believe in it. If you look at Euston Station, that is the most difficult to build around and stations like these can be impossible for redevelopment. I am very wary in Milton Keynes. We have an office block next to the station there. I am wary of developing Bletchley Station like that, knowing it may need redeveloping in thirty years time.'
Julia Foster, Managing Partner at David Lock Associates stated:
'There are limitations around mixed-use and a lot of misunderstanding around science developments. All the pollution and noise that comes with them. But housing around stations, I agree with absolutely. We have quality mechanisms in place to ensure quality of build. Of course, aesthetics are very subjective. The main concern is that things get put in the right place. I think the UK government accent on grey belt is irrelevant and fraught with problems. The answer for housing is in the strategic scale of development.'
Cllr Marland added:
'If councils are planning 200 houses on grey belt land, they will moan if they don't get a school for instance. But that's because they have allocated 200 not 2,000 homes. Local people want schools and hospitals but local councils can be at fault here. I think we have the right number of planners around housing here at Milton Keynes, but if a council does not, the answer is to do interesting things and the planners will apply to work with you.
Julia commented:
'Local authorities could be more proactive in addressing in-house skills for planning and make it a more engaging prospect to work in local authorities. There was a lot of enthusiasm originally for working in a new city like Milton Keynes, it is where David Lock Associates started. But the positivity is now down trodden down and is being seen at the moment as a negative, controlling career.'
David Lock Associates has been working on the transformation of former arable land, strategically located on Milton Keynes' eastern edge, into Brooklands, Broughton Gate, and Magna Park MK. The firm states:
'We facilitated community and stakeholder engagement, secured local plan allocation, and obtained planning permissions, while also leading infrastructure planning and reserved matters negotiation for successful scheme implementation.
'Over 3,500 homes with supporting infrastructure, over 325,160m² of logistics and head quarters manufacturing space.
The former farmland which became the Milton Keynes Eastern Expansion Area has evolved significantly since our first commission to promote it through the planning process back in 1999. It is now an established, growing, and successful new community integrated into the city. Since the provision of initial advanced infrastructure in 2008 the scheme is now nearing completion, with the final phases of 500 mixed tenure homes under construction.
'Navigating through the evolving planning system, our role developed from initial site promotion through to the implementation stages, securing the necessary detailed permissions for key physical, social and green infrastructure.
'Our longstanding knowledge of the scheme and local area, combined with an understanding of the need for flexibility in bringing it forward over 25 years, has been key to sustaining the delivery of the development. Our proactive approach to planning expedited the delivery of crucial aspects for this scheme, including the commercial, logistics, and manufacturing elements, that suit the current and future needs of the occupants.'
Image below: Graphic map from MK50 project, courtesy of David Lock Associates
Writing about The Strategic Growth Study for Milton Keynes and its environs, David Lock Associates says:
It focused on bringing together a broad evidence base to articulate futures thinking and produce a spatial vision with placemaking objectives to help shape long term growth and investment plans for the local authorities in the area
'We were commissioned to produce a Strategic Growth Study to inform the Council’s preparation of the Milton Keynes Strategy for 2050, and to revive bold ambitions for the future of the city. The study takes forward the growth aspirations outlined in previous ‘Futures’ work and the 2016-22 Council Plan, the latter anticipating the continued growth of Milton Keynes to a population of 500,000 people by 2050, to analyse how this level and type of growth might manifest itself spatially and over time. The Growth Study recommendations form part of the Council's 'Strategy for 2050', adopted as corporate policy in 2021 and is a key piece of evidence informing the next Local Plan review.
'Our work drew together the existing evidence base and examined the possible and desirable scale and pace of population and economic growth within the wider Milton Keynes area for the next 30+ years. Working spatially and with cross-sector stakeholders, we focused on how to plan for and deliver ‘good growth’ in the local context which reflected wider Council objectives.
'We explored scenarios around capacities and opportunities within the existing city to accommodate additional growth, and recommended ways in which future growth beyond the Designated Area of the New Town, including cross boundary growth and infrastructure, might achieve a step change in sustainable patterns of mobility and development to deliver real and sustained benefits back to the existing population of Milton Keynes. The Growth Study recommendations form part of the Council's 'Strategy for 2050,' now adopted as corporate policy and a key piece of evidence informing the forthcoming Local Plan review.'
Developer MEPC joined the Future Cities Forum conversation talking about its developments at Milton Park at Didcot, Oxfordshire and Silverstone Park near Towcester, Northamptonshire - which both fall within the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor. The firm says that Silverstone Park builds on the history, heritage and global reputation of the motor racing circuit to create a home for engineering, innovation, research and business development. It highlights that is it a global destination at the forefront of advanced technology. The hub accommodates start-ups to large corporates and MEPC describes it as a happy, thriving community.
Development Director and Lead for Silverstone Park (and also St Mary le Port ) at MEPC, Chris Kimber-Nicholson, joined the Milton Keynes discussion to talk about the benefits of 'patient capital':
'As a development company we spawned from a pension fund background (the BT Pension Fund manager Hermes) which makes us different from some other developers. What it means is that we are there for the benefit of others as we continue to serve those pensioners and pensions companies. It's called slow patient capital and enables us to take a longer view of projects. The way we are funded means we do not need to repay that money or show a profit quickly. We can take a long time over projects, sometimes three to four years.
'There isn't a one size fits all approach. People want to be living both inside and outside cities for different reasons. They might like to ride a cycle through town that fits with their academic life or they might want to be on a science campus like Milton Park, where they have room to grow.
'Infrastructure is hugely important and can only influence by a degree. Technology will be the answer. I think we are looking at the slow demise of the car and more reliance on light transit systems and the autonomous bus to travel around and get to science parks. We are thinking about the autonomous bus route at Silverstone but we are probably ten years away. It is in keeping with what younger people want. They don't want a car or to be digging a garden. They like city centre living in apartments but those that come with shared space and a community.
' I do think it was a mistake on behalf of the UK government to move back from the electric vehicle (transition) date. Kicking that down the road has been a bit short-sighted. We are looking at sharing a smart energy grid with Aston Martin (which has a factory at Silverstone) to reduce low peaks. They have a twenty-four hour manufacturing facility with the circuit being used at weekends and our working pattern during the week. This might be a good way of sharing energy and something we are looking at.
Image: Grimshaw's civil engineering building for the University of Cambridge, courtesy of Grimshaw
Grimshaw's architects have experience in developing major science buildings in Cambridge but also carrying out projects to plan joined-up development in Oxford. The practice takes a holistic view of development and design and has a high concern for sustainability, climate and nature.
Grimshaw states:
'The civil engineering building (completed in 2019) for the University of Cambridge is a world-class research space, and home to the Department of Engineering's civil engineering division and the newly established National Research Facility for Infrastructure. The building is the first phase of the Grimshaw-designed new engineering campus which, when complete, will reintegrate the entire department into a single site, providing 100,000 sqm of research, teach and collaboration space.
'Sustainability was a key driver in the overall brief for the project with the University setting ambitious targets for the design and construction of all buildings at their new campus. The brief required the design to minimise whole life energy and carbon, provide a pleasant environment for the occupiers, build in flexibility to accommodate future use and ensure that the building's performance met the predicted design targets.
'The scheme’s budget comprised a 50/50 split between government and university funding. The programme was constrained by funding requirements which stipulated a completion date before the end of 2020, meaning planning approval had to be sought in advance of the outline planning application for the wider West Cambridge masterplan.
'The building adopted the principles of circular design, ensuring many of the high-quality primary structural and façade components were designed with longevity, deconstruction and reuse in mind. An estimated 80% of the structural steel in the superstructure and many façade components are recoverable, supporting the brief to minimise whole-life embodied energy/carbon. The contractor employed BIM and VR on-site to coordinate services while sensors were installed throughout the superstructure to monitor its environmental performance in-use.
'The building contributes to society at multiple scales. Globally, the facility has a primary mission: to develop and deploy sensors within infrastructure projects throughout the UK to maximise their whole-life value and improve the resilience of our cities to the effects of climate change. Locally, our work to minimise whole-life energy/carbon on this project has provided valuable insight and knowledge that can be applied across the university’s entire estate in support of its transition to a zero-carbon campus. The building provides a template for the technical, spatial and environmental qualities that future buildings should emulate as the engineering campus is developed.
'
On a human scale, enhancements to the existing woodland belt to the eastern perimeter, and the publicly accessible urban realm created to the building’s west provide improved amenity to the wider academic community and Cambridge residents. During construction the main contractor supported the renovation of a local playground and engaged regularly with local residents and schools.
'While the building was conceived before the launch of RIBA’s 2030 Climate Challenge – to which Grimshaw is a signatory – it addresses many of the same issues. With an ambitious sustainability brief set for all buildings at the new engineering campus, the building’s form, systems, construction and use had to be carefully choreographed to minimise whole-life energy/carbon, while providing a pleasant and healthy environment for occupants, promote natural ventilation, avoid 'green bling' and incorporate circular design principals.
'The design team were privileged to collaborate with academics at the engineering department who challenged the design team to address the gap between predicted and actual building performance, a shortcoming of existing regulations and sustainability rating schemes. The outcome was the development of the Energy Cost Metric (ECM) which sought to minimise whole-life energy within a cost-conscious framework. Its use during the design phase directly influenced the specification of a ground source heat pump over conventional gas boilers and double glazing over triple: the university has subsequently incorporated the ECM into their guidance for all new buildings.
'To mitigate the impact of future climate change, an energy model was created during the design phase – in-line with CIBSE’s TM-54 and TM-52 guidance – to ensure the scheme was resilient to overheating based on future weather scenarios, and allowing the building’s natural ventilation strategy to operate effectively while maintaining optimum occupancy comfort. A Soft Landings framework was adopted to facilitate commissioning and handover, with post-occupancy undertaken over a two-year period. Data captured from integrated environmental sensors throughout the building helped determine if predicted performance targets were being met. In 2020 the project achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating. The knowledge that Grimshaw gained while delivering the project has contributed significantly to meeting our own commitment to design exclusively net-zero carbon-ready buildings by 2025.
'The building is situated on the site of a former car park and incorporates several landscape design features that form part of the wider masterplan landscaping strategy, which has focused on regenerating and expanding green coverage to create a net-positive contribution to local biodiversity.
'A range of green spaces has been created and enhanced by the landscape design. At-grade, a new courtyard extends the existing lawn up to the buildings western entrance with new native trees and vegetation planted to provide increased biodiversity and amenity for staff. To the east, the adjacent woodland belt has been retained and enhanced, with low quality vegetation cleared to promote the health of existing trees and provide space for underplanting of native species. Felling low-quality trees and a new swale, located along the woodland’s perimeter, supports natural habitats and human amenity. The swales form part of the wide masterplan’s sustainable urban drainage strategy working in combination with the building’s blue/green roof to manage run-off to the local sewer network, helping to reduce the risk of flooding down-stream.
The green roof system provides further opportunities for new habitat creation and an increase in biodiversity with native species of sedum planted, including shade-tolerant varieties included to ensure coverage below the integrated photovoltaic array.
'During construction a protection zone was established around the woodland belt to avoid damage to tree root systems and wildlife. These interventions and enhancements, along with a commissioning of a detailed woodland management plan by the university and wider masterplan commitments, will ensure the ongoing conservation and expansion of existing habitats and consequent increases in biodiversity in and beyond the building’s own footprint.
Image below - the Cambridge University Department of Engineering civil engineering building, on the West Cambridge campus site: courtesy of Grimshaw
Anagha Mujumdar-Potbhare, Principal at Grimshaw spoke at the forum about trying to think in a more joined-up way about the Oxford Cambridge Growth Corridor's development:
'I think we need to concentrate much more on people living close to nature and how we make our developments sustainable. I am an urbanist and like to think about settlements in their entirety and how they can re-invent themselves. So often there are individual forces operating and I think it is better to create somewhere with a better dynamic.
'Our Oxford experiment a few years ago looked at the city, colleges and the University as individual sites and discovered it would be more strategic as one. They all seemed to be different sites but through this task, they all came together as a success. It did take speaking to the various stakeholders several times but the discussions brought a lot of synergies and connections were discovered between the sites, which would otherwise be overlooked.
' We need to support local authorities but think in a more joined up way. It is the identity of the place in the end. What is the OxCam Corridor identity? This question is a great place to start. Rather than creating competing centres we should be building a positive dynamic where energies can be shared.'
Grimshaw Associate Principal, Alex Grigull said:
'What Anagha is saying about nature is very important. It is paramount that it is a fit for future housing and generations. As human beings we have a strong innate desire to be with nature. I think we can design communities to have nature in a more urban way and remember that it was in the 1960s and 70s that cities struggled with nature.
'I think we need to create that vision, when we are trying to achieve flexible frameworks. They are long term, so each project has a sequence and may necessarily have changes to its course slightly.'
Cllr Marland disagreed:
'I have spent a lot of time sitting in rooms to create big visions. HS2 has been like that. Too many esoteric conversations about bat boxes and the conversation just goes round and round. For instance, there has been too much time spent talking about how much better underground cables are, but they destroy the environment. Frankly it is better to have above ground pylons.
'I know that district councils wanted to create nature corridors but ended up not building a single house. The whole process became waylaid in side conversations. We are trying to create a global zone here and we don't want time delay in the system. I see trees put in all the wrong places and they are destroying the sewage system.'
Cllr Marland was asked to sum-up for the discussion:
What the Arc / Corridor needs to do is to work with organisations like East West Rail, National Grid, Anglia Water, Thames Water (if it still exists!), and people like MEPC, to work out what are the big pieces of infrastructure kit that are needed to deliver. It can't be done at an individual council scale or even at a mayoral combined authority basis. I think that is the way that Homes England ought to go too, because what's the point in doling out small pots of money to each individual scheme when you could save a lot of money by giving it directly to mayors, as it is currently done in London and Manchester and they can decide which brownfield sites to focus on, and which affordable housing schemes? It would be better if Homes England could focus on the bigger national infrastructure piece. The challenge is in bringing the local, the regional and the national together into what needs to be an international offer. We are a tiny speck of the world. We may well lose out to those places run by dictators. It's how you link current issues to future issues.'
Image: Milton Keynes from the air, with Campbell Park in the foreground (courtesy Webb Aviation)
Comments