Recommendation 2: That
the Growth Board, in its consideration of Advanced Oxford’s
report on Powering Up for the Green Recovery, considers the
Scrutiny Panel’s feedback set out below. The Board is
encouraged to reflect how these views can inform key future plans
and strategies:
i.
Future Growth Board work and strategies should consider how any
increase in total office space can remain compatible with the
long-term carbon reduction ambitions of the Oxfordshire Strategic
Vision, and the wider need to design any
future Oxford city employment spaces to be car-free and include
facilities for sustainable travel.
ii.
There needs to be a balance of focus on
areas outside Oxford city along the knowledge spine within the
Oxford - Cambridge Arc to promote the creation and development of
employment space in areas with good rail links to Oxford such as
Bicester and Banbury.
iii.
There needs to be a focus on sustainable means of transport such as
cycle lanes and routes, light passenger railways and autonomous
vehicles when designing new spin-out and
high-tech spaces. In addition revisiting recommendation 3 made on
16th March 2021, that the Growth Board undertake further
work to understand the impact that changes in local rail services
do and may have on modal shift with regards to personal car use,
consideration should be given to the building of new train stations
on existing lines in areas such as
Kidlington-Begbroke-Yarnton.
iv.
In placemaking, consider designing communities, employment spaces,
housing, and transport options holistically, especially in light of
changes to working practices in a post-pandemic world and how it is
likely to reduce levels of commuting in the long term.
Recommendation 3: That the Growth Board in
noting the Overview of Local Skills Landscape report undertakes to
actively consider diversity of leadership, responsible business
practices, attracting youth to Science Technology Engineering
Mathematics (STEM) fields, and addressing traditional imbalances
such as the under-representation of women in STEM based
businesses.
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