Government officials have reportedly told local authorities that the idea of a centrally driven project to drive an “arc” of development delivering up to a million homes between Oxford and Cambridge has been dropped.

A report written by Liz Watts, the chief executive of South Cambridgeshire Council, one of the local authorities making up the supposed “Ox-Cam Arc”, states there has been a change of approach by the housing department since Michael Gove was installed as secretary of state.

Watts’ report, produced in advance of a council meeting this week, said that after a period of uncertainty, it was now clear that “the government does not wish to see the Ox Cam Arc as a project driven by central government.”

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