REMOVING THE BARRIERS FOR GROWTH
People, community and infrastructure
She commutes in from Leamington Spa in the Midlands – 45 minutes each way on a train and then a taxi or bus to business park on the edge of the city, or 90 minutes minimum each way driving.
Transport is a huge concern for everyone on her team. “Sometimes transport is all we talk about - getting into Oxford.”
She felt that sorting out the transport is more important than providing housing per se as there are “lots of good places that are affordable in the area, and they are growing. I see the houses everywhere on my drive home.”
Alistair Cory, Director of Begbroke Science Park, which is the base of 30 companies, along with 20 research groups from the University of Oxford, agreed that infrastructure is paramount. “I came here in 1985 as a student and the transport response is no different. Yes, we're getting a city centre rail station development, but the city is very much constrained.”
I came here in 1985 as a student and the transport response is no different. Yes, we're getting a city centre rail station development, but the city is very much constrained.
He called for more strategic leadership from local government and welcomed the appointment, at the end of last year, of Dr Martin Reeves as Chief Executive of Oxfordshire County Council.
Alistair highlighted the importance of the East West Rail as a nationally significant railway project that is designed to deliver much-needed transport connections for communities between Oxford and Cambridge by several measures including upgrading an existing section of railway between Oxford and Bicester; bringing back a section of railway between Bicester and Bletchley; and building new railway infrastructure between Bedford and Cambridge.
Cultural change is also required: he felt that most academics would say they need to be within walking distance of their laboratories.
Kevin Minns and others suggested that bringing new residential models such as co-living schemes, where people share some facilities, would help bridge the affordability gap in the city centre and ensure Oxfordshire is able to attract and retain talent.
Oxford currently lacks these schemes but they are becoming a fixture in other cities like Manchester which also have a significant focus on the knowledge economy.
A standard question would be, ‘Where are the people? Who is going to work in this building?
Laurence Aston of Buro Happold talked about what he would ask a developer if he chaired a planning committee. “A standard question would be, ‘Where are the people? Who is going to work in this building?” He wanted to see joined up thinking about housing and sustainable transport.
James York of Morgan Sindall Construction added to the point. “You have to ask who would develop the affordable accommodation? Because all of the land in the city centre is owned by the university colleges.”
The panel qualified the challenge by agreeing that housing and transport are challenges everywhere – including the hot spots of innovation growth in the United States.
Laurence Aston and other panellists felt planning delays were a great concern. He said real estate investors from outside the UK get frustrated with the time it took to get schemes through the system; a problem experienced in most parts of the UK.
Sarah Cleary of HydRegen also felt there is an opportunity to provide a connecting space for businesses not already located on a campus with a networked community and activities to draw people together.
“You give one to every single person working an innovation company a membership card. All of them. Like they get a free cup of coffee or something the ability to meeting rooms so you can make it work commercially.”
Laurence Aston agreed on the importance of science estates needing to find ways to bring the community together.
“What I don’t see is people beginning to join that up across the different organisations. I think that's partly because every organisation has got its own commercial focus and aspirations. So, it would be good to see a forum like the one Sarah describes.”
You give one to every single person working in an innovation company a membership card. All of them. Like they get a free cup of coffee or the ability to use meeting rooms so you can make it work commercially.
