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Oxford 'should get million new homes'
9:00am Wednesday 13th August 2008
Comments (26)One million new homes should be built in Oxford to help the city become an economic power-house of the 21st century, a thinktank report says today.
The Policy Exchange thinktank - which has close links to David Cameron's Conservative Party - calls for the Green Belt to be torn up and Oxford expanded dramatically, in the same way Liverpool and Manchester mushroomed in the 19th century.
Its report, Cities Unlimited, argues that attempts to regenerate northern industrial cities like Liverpool or Sunderland are doomed to failure because the decline of industries such as shipping have placed them beyond revival.
Instead, according to Policy Exchange, millions of their residents should move to the South East and Government policy should be focused on building on areas that already show potential for growth - like Oxford, Cambridge and London.
Oxford was ideal for major expansion because of its location in South East England, the engine of the UK's economy; because cities based on highly skilled workers were the most dynamic and Oxford was home to one of Britain's leading research universities; and because it was sited near a major airport (Heathrow) as well as London.
The report concluded that all of the three million new homes planned by the Government for England should be shared equally between Oxford, London and Cambridge.
Restrictions on house-building in the South East should be lifted to lower house prices and stop people on low incomes being trapped in less prosperous parts of the country, it said.
The optimal size of each city could exceed one million people, perhaps by a considerable margin.
The report said it was likely that an expanded Oxford would be richer than everywhere else in Britain outside the capital.
The authors included Tim Leunig, a lecturer in economic history at the London School of Economics, who said: "No doubt some people will claim that these proposals are unworkable, unreasonable and perhaps plain barmy.
"But the issue is clear - current regeneration policies are failing the very people they are supposed to be helping and there is no evidence that the trend will be reversed without radical changes."
The Tories this morning distanced themselves from the report. Chris Grayling, the shadow minister for Liverpool, said it did not reflect party policy and the Conservatives did not agree with its conclusions.
Your Say Yourthisisoxfordshire
Convolvulus, says...
9:27am Wed 13 Aug 08
The Tories this morning distanced themselves from the report. Chris Grayling, the shadow minister for Liverpool, said it did not reflect arty policy"
Well, whatever else they are, at least the Tories aren't a bunch of Philistines, then. Their argument must be: with all this building, where would there be space for opera, for goodness' sake?
Watcher, Oxford says...
9:29am Wed 13 Aug 08
All positioning for elections - they will do what they like once they get in.
Keithy, Oxford says...
9:45am Wed 13 Aug 08
chris, oxford says...
9:53am Wed 13 Aug 08
An economic powerhouse?
Who needs Boris - Cameron for mayor!
(Or is that the plan already?)
DanOxford, says...
10:50am Wed 13 Aug 08
Oxford's population is around 125,000, the Universities have been allowed to expand student numbers to around 30,000 and swathes of the city are now run down slums of student and economic migrants.
Family homes have been split up by absentee landlords with several migrants living in each.
There are disputes about parking, strident anti- car/ anti- capitalism/ anti- everything amongst wealthy NIMBY's and reactionary students and newcomers.
No housing is affordable and local people are pushed out.
There are no council houses left (people are advised to apply for South Oxfordshire), and the backbone of society- the working British families- are pushed out, leaving a completely unbalanced city of young single people, wealthy enclaves (North Oxford and Jericho) and estates of sub- standard housing.
The next step is to build over the greenbelt and build another estate of car- dependent commuters with few facilities and prevented from enjoying any of the city centre facilities (not that there are many left as the University and Council have ensured that rents are so high that anything of interest is quickly replaced by student accomodation or a coffee and panini outlet) by the Council and their wealthy NIMBY supporters who live within cycling distance.
I'd say it is OXFORD that is beyond revival.
Most young professionals I know have either moved North or are living in student conditions (often into their 30's) as they desperately try to save a deposit to do the same.
Greed, mass immigration and Politically Correct discrimination against working people, British people and the middle classes who work hard to bring their children up well are destroying this Country from the inside. If NuLabour continue, they will be left with a dysfunctional Country full of competing factions all competing for 'victim' status as this affords better rewards than working hard, gaining an education and wishing the same for your family.
Dave, Abingdon says...
10:58am Wed 13 Aug 08
Flo, Oxford says...
11:18am Wed 13 Aug 08
Why should you have to have been born here to live in Oxford Dan? If so very soon Oxford would be very empty!
People come, people go. That is just how things are.
Ed, Oxford says...
12:19pm Wed 13 Aug 08
Dan is right though - Oxford is too expensive to live in for most people, and those that do barely scrape a deposit to buy somewhere else.
I'm from Oxford and I like it here, I've worked all over the UK but still love my home city, as grotty as it's become, but I believe it will get better.
We just elected leaders with a vision, not party-political troughlickers. The elected mayor of Middlesborough has done a hell of a lot to reduce crime and disorder.
Where is our elected mayor? Wearing some silly robes and a gold chain, I'll bet..
RJ, Oxford says...
12:20pm Wed 13 Aug 08
Dave wrote:Dan is only telling it like it is. Oxford is not better than Liverpool, Manchester et all. This city, if anything, is beyond help because of a bunch of snobs and the bureaucratic fools that pander to them. Attack me if you must, see if I care...
Wondered how long it would take for DanOxford to start ranting. Not very was the answer.
Rob, Liverpool says...
1:11pm Wed 13 Aug 08
I have a decent job, and a nice house and car ... and when I look out of the front window, I can see fields and hills.
I fear the authors of this report have never strayed beyond the 'safe' city walls of the London School of Economics. Bless em!
Liam, Milton says...
1:41pm Wed 13 Aug 08
Terry Chandler, Oxford says...
2:12pm Wed 13 Aug 08
Dave wrote:He speaks a lot of sense though doesn't he Dave?
Wondered how long it would take for DanOxford to start ranting. Not very was the answer.
Mr Ison, England says...
2:17pm Wed 13 Aug 08
Mia, Oxford says...
2:28pm Wed 13 Aug 08
Mr Ison, England says...
2:36pm Wed 13 Aug 08
Britisher, Oxford says...
3:04pm Wed 13 Aug 08
On the subject of a lack of affordable housing. In 1980, Mrs Thatch introduced the Right to Buy scheme for Council Tenants but didn't allow Council's to reinvest the money on building replacement homes. Over the last 25 years the council stock has got smaller and smaller and now they have ~ 8000 properties and only allocate ~400 of those every year from a waiting list of ~6000 applicants.
Any new accommodation belongs to Housing Associations who allow the Council to nominate applicants from their list.
The freedom of movement within Europe doesn't help and was alluded to in Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech.
I fear for the future of this Country. Hopefully not in my life time but sometime in the future we will see a Civil War or Ethnic Cleansing on the same scale asd the Balkans a few years back. It's a tickimng time bomb and is going to go off soon.
Mr Ison, England says...
3:11pm Wed 13 Aug 08
DanOxford, Oxford says...
3:25pm Wed 13 Aug 08
Niko Bellic, Liberty City (in the green belt) says...
3:45pm Wed 13 Aug 08
Looking at it, Oxford is at risk of becomming little more than a quaint little village surrounded by the ever expanding Didcot, Reading, Milton Keynes etc.
DanOxford, says...
4:22pm Wed 13 Aug 08
DanOxford wrote:At least post comments in your own (or a made up..) name and not mine.
Err... I am in fact wrong. Sorry.
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but try to be original.
DanOxford, says...
4:33pm Wed 13 Aug 08
Flo wrote:The problem is that Oxford is overpopulated.
I'm one of those economic migrants you speak of Dan. I came Wolverhampton as I got a job down here. Is that OK with you or should I go back home? Why should you have to have been born here to live in Oxford Dan? If so very soon Oxford would be very empty! People come, people go. That is just how things are.
None if this would be an issue if people DID come and go as you describe.
The fact is that there are now chronic problems with housing, parking and strain on services.
Local people cannot aford to live where they grew up.
Oxford reflects the wider problems in the UK where 'white flight' from the cities and the flow of educated professionals out of the Country are recognised.
There is little reason why the University needs to be in Oxford at all- why not move it to Wolverhampton or any other Midlands/Northern city?
This would provide employment and there would be plenty of room for expansion and to house the 30,000 students on sites left derelict after the decline of industry.
Perhaps you would stand a better chance of getting a job in your home town of Wolverhampton if it wasn't one of the largest concentrations of migrants? Just a thought.
Proposing to expand Oxford is ridiculous.
Tom, says...
5:42pm Wed 13 Aug 08
When will i be allowed to forget this.
gary, oxfordstan says...
7:23pm Wed 13 Aug 08
Britisher wrote:I fear for the future of this Country. Hopefully not in my life time but sometime in the future we will see a Civil War or Ethnic Cleansing on the same scale asd the Balkans a few years back. It's a tickimng time bomb and is going to go off soon. SORRY TO UPSET YOU PAL,BUT YOU WILL SEE IT IN YOUR LIFE TIME,MARK MY WORDS.
DanOxford for PM. On the subject of a lack of affordable housing. In 1980, Mrs Thatch introduced the Right to Buy scheme for Council Tenants but didn't allow Council's to reinvest the money on building replacement homes. Over the last 25 years the council stock has got smaller and smaller and now they have ~ 8000 properties and only allocate ~400 of those every year from a waiting list of ~6000 applicants. Any new accommodation belongs to Housing Associations who allow the Council to nominate applicants from their list. The freedom of movement within Europe doesn't help and was alluded to in Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech. I fear for the future of this Country. Hopefully not in my life time but sometime in the future we will see a Civil War or Ethnic Cleansing on the same scale asd the Balkans a few years back. It's a tickimng time bomb and is going to go off soon.
Mr Ison, England says...
7:30pm Wed 13 Aug 08
John, Oxford says...
11:08am Tue 19 Aug 08
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Tarbatt, says...
9:14am Wed 13 Aug 08
I think all the people in Liverpool should come and live in Oxford. Everton could play at Court Place Farm and Liverpool up the Kassam. And the Liver Building could move to Folly Bridge.
Let's do it!