<p><span>The government is consulting on the long term development of the Oxford-Cambridge Arc as part of ministers’ plans to create a Spatial Framework for the area to 2050.</span></p> <p><span>People across the Arc – taking in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire – and those with an interest in the area have been invited through <a href="https://placebuilder.io/futureofthearc">a digital platform</a> to express their views on the plan, which the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said would have sustainability “at its core”.</span></p> <p><span>Input into the public consultation will also help guide local planning and investment decisions in four areas: the environment, the economy, connectivity and infrastructure and placemaking. The consultation is the first of three that will shape the new Spatial Framework over the next two years.</span></p> <p><span>Through the consultation, which closes on October 12, MHCLG is also seeking views on the initial work it has undertaken on setting the scope of its Sustainability Appraisal for the Arc, as part of its intention to embed sustainability within the Spatial Framework.</span></p> <p><span>And ministers have announced a new expert panel to advise on sustainable economic and housing growth in the Arc. Chaired by development and regeneration expert Emma Cariaga, MHCLG said the …