{"id":772619,"date":"2025-01-29T16:34:11","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T16:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=772619"},"modified":"2025-01-30T16:16:51","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T16:16:51","slug":"reeves-third-runway-for-heathrow-old-trafford-support-and-18-new-towns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/reeves-third-runway-for-heathrow-old-trafford-support-and-18-new-towns","title":{"rendered":"Reeves: Third runway for Heathrow, Old Trafford support and 18 new towns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier today (29 January), Rachel Reeves spelled out a series of major announcements on infrastructure projects, resurrecting a number of stalled or previously shelved schemes as part of the Labour government\u2019s ambition to go \u2018further and faster\u2019 to kickstart economic growth.<\/p>\n

As well as the big ticket items, Reeves spelled out proposals to limit potential judicial review actions which could derail large-scale developments and a new approach to planning decisions on land around stations, changing the default answer to \u2018yes\u2019 for homes and offices.<\/p>\n

Her most controversial announcement was her backing to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport, which, although approved by parliament in mid-June 2018, has been beset by legal challenges and widely condemned by climate campaigners.<\/p>\n

In 2020 Grimshaw, which had been working on the airport\u2019s \u00a314 billion expansion scheme before the plans were put on hold after being deemed unlawful<\/a> by the Court of Appeal on environmental grounds, was forced to lay off staff connected to the job. The AJ100 practice had beaten Zaha Hadid Architects, Benoy and HOK in the contest to design a new \u2018hub airport of the future\u2019 four years before.<\/a><\/p>\n

Justifying her decision to push forward with the on-off expansion, Reeves said a third runway would \u2018unlock further growth, boost investment, increase exports, and make the UK more open and more connected\u2019. She tied in the announcement with a commitment to \u2018modernise UK airspace [by] transitioning to greener aviation\u2019. Reeves claimed \u2018sustainable aviation fuel reduces CO2 emissions compared to fossil jet fuel by around 70 per cent\u2019 and would be supporting UK producers by investing \u00a363 million in 2025-26 into the Advanced Fuels Fund.<\/p>\n

The chancellor said she had invited Heathrow Airport to submit plans to expand the airport <\/b>by the summer, <\/b>but added that the government would only sign them off if the proposals were \u2018in line with legal environmental and climate objectives\u2019.<\/p>\n

Reeves confirmed transport secretary Heidi Alexander would be taking decisions \u2018shortly\u2019 on expansion plans at Gatwick and Luton, and that the government would work with Doncaster Council and the mayor of South Yorkshire to support efforts to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere Reeves resuscitated the idea of the Oxford to Cambridge growth corridor \u2013 an idea which has\u00a0 been on the drawing board for nearly two decades \u2013 saying this science and technology-focused region could add \u00a378 billion to the UK economy by 2035.<\/p>\n

Four years ago<\/a>, construction of a \u00a33.5 billion Oxford to Cambridge expressway was cancelled after analysis showed the benefits the road would deliver were outweighed by its costs.<\/p>\n

But today Reeves confirmed funding for transport projects in the region, including an upgrade on the A428 between Milton Keynes and Cambridge as well as a new East West Rail line.<\/p>\n

She also mentioned the government had received 18 submissions for \u2018sizeable new developments\u2019 along the route of this rail link, with \u2018new and expanded communities\u2019 in the growth corridor<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor. Spatial framework growth opportunities by David Lock Associates (January 2025)<\/p>\n\t

Source:David Lock Associates<\/p><\/div>\n

Responding to the news, dRMM\u2019s Sadie Morgan, a member of the National Infrastructure Commission, said: \u2018The chancellor\u2019s green light to unleash the Oxford to Cambridge corridor\u2019s full economic potential is welcome news after a number of false starts, and I\u2019m pleased the government\u2019s ambition matches the scale of transformation we envisaged in the Commission\u2019s original report in 2017.<\/p>\n

\u2018It is vital that the transport, water and housing constraints on economic growth in one of the UK\u2019s most productive areas are removed \u2013 filling in gaps on East West Rail, improving the region\u2019s strategic roads and concerted action to secure its water supplies are therefore significant steps forward. The government\u2019s compelling vision for the corridor must now be turned into a comprehensive economic plan.\u2019<\/p>\n

Reeves has also signalled the government\u2019s support for the redevelopment of Manchester United\u2019s Old Trafford home and surrounding area \u2013 an emerging masterplan which is being overseen by Foster + Partners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Manchester United’s September 2024 Old Trafford masterplan proposals<\/p>\n\t

Source:Manchester United<\/p><\/div>\n

The Premier League club is due to decide at the end of the season on whether to revamp and extend the existing stadium into an 87,000-capacity venue or build a brand-new 100,000-capacity ground.<\/p>\n

It is understood the government money will be used to move three rail freight terminals which lie in the way of the proposed redevelopment, which could create 5,000 homes and a second \u2018major football campus\u2019 across the city from Manchester City\u2019s large sports complex in the east.<\/p>\n

Reacting to the chancellor\u2019s announcements, Allan Wil\u00e9n, economic director at construction analysts Glenigan, said: \u2018While major projects take time to break ground, a firm government commitment to fresh investment in the built environment could have an immediate positive effect – bolstering private sector confidence and accelerating project pipelines.,<\/p>\n

Government commitments to fresh investment could have an immediate positive effect<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2018Cutting red tape in the planning process would further unlock development, ensuring projects move from approval to construction more quickly.\u2019<\/p>\n

However, he added: \u2018But planning reform alone won\u2019t be enough to deliver the promised \u201cbuilding boom\u201d. Supply chains, skilled labour, and market confidence must also align. The government\u2019s 10-Year Infrastructure Working Paper acknowledges this, but success will depend on real, sustained investment in workforce development and supply chain resilience.<\/p>\n

\u2018Without this, even the most ambitious planning overhaul risks being undermined by practical constraints on delivery.\u2019<\/p>\n

\n

Comments<\/h2>\n

Muyiwa Oki, president of the Royal Institute of British Architects<\/strong>
\nThe government\u2019s focus on delivering new homes and national infrastructure is great news \u2013 these are essential drivers for economic growth and moves to unlock land near transport hubs can be transformative. We need vibrant, well-connected neighbourhoods with everything from accessible transport to green space and bustling local centres.<\/p>\n

But quality matters when creating new developments. Architecture plays a crucial role in ensuring that new places are sustainable, liveable and fit for the future. We remain ready to work with government to meet this challenge head-on. We look forward to seeing more detail in the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill.<\/p>\n

Keith Brewis, partner at Grimshaw
\n<\/strong>The government announcement of growth and investment is, of course, encouraging and is necessarily pointed towards infrastructure as an unlocking force for the economy.<\/p>\n

Maintaining design quality and environmental targets is critical<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We know, only too well, the ripple effect a commitment to transport and energy development in the UK has on the built environment industry. Maintaining design quality and environmental targets, whatever the Planning and Infrastructure Bill brings forward, is critical. There will be an intensity around infrastructure and building, but as designers we have a responsibility to ensure that the desire for growth does not overwhelm the equally intense need for solutions that tackle climate change, biodiversity and our ecosystems, all of which contribute to the greater health of the UK.<\/p>\n

Alex Ely, founder director of mae
\n<\/strong>The commitment to East-West Rail (EWR) sets the course for positive development between Cambridge and Oxford. If it could interconnect to HS2 the rail link could also drive the economies and benefit communities in the Midlands and North of England.<\/p>\n

The government\u2019s announcement also talks of promoting development of new and expanded communities in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor. This needs to be vision led with a strong spatial strategy.<\/p>\n

We know that successful places and intensive and efficient use of land go hand-in-hand with good infrastructure; so this could drive a more positive urban response where dense, new housing is supported by good services and amenity and moves us away from the \u2018designed-for-nowhere, found-everywhere\u2019 banal fast-fashion volume housing.<\/p>\n

Heather Pugh, planning partner at David Lock Associates<\/strong>
\nA renewed commitment and certainty over infrastructure investment to unlock strategic economic growth throughout the nation is welcomed.\u00a0 Interestingly, in respect of the Ox-Cam Growth Corridor, what the government\u2019s announcement does is reinforce that the eastern half of the Corridor now benefits from co-ordinated strategic rail and road commitments (road under construction; railway and stations committed) as the basis for moving forward conversations around future patterns of strategic growth.<\/p>\n

What it perhaps fails to respond to is the \u2018gap\u2019 in strategic infrastructure connectivity which still exists in the western half of the Corridor from Milton Keynes to Oxford (see above<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Despite this part of the corridor seeing the tangible benefits of investment earliest – East West rail services open this summer on this stretch – no plans have been revealed to align strategic road improvements with East West Rail to unlock strategic growth opportunities.<\/p>\n

Further, the failure to plan for integrating rail, road and first-last mile connectivity to existing places \u2013 think Winslow, Harwell \u2013 risks failing to unlock the level of economic growth potential the government are so clearly seeking.<\/p>\n

Janet Young, director general of the Institution of Civil Engineers<\/strong>
\nInvestors and the construction supply chain need certainty so that they are confident that the UK is an attractive place to deliver infrastructure and updating the Green Book could help address regional imbalances in investment.<\/p>\n

While more detail is needed on how the government will support growth and meet its net zero ambitions, delivering infrastructure and meeting the country\u2019s climate objectives shouldn\u2019t be seen as an either\/or choice. Planning and delivering the right infrastructure can go hand in hand with achieving the country\u2019s net zero ambitions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Earlier today (29 January), Rachel Reeves spelled out a series of major announcements on infrastructure projects, resurrecting a number of stalled or previously shelved schemes as part of the Labour government\u2019s ambition to go \u2018further and faster\u2019 to kickstart economic growth. 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