Regeneration expert Neale Coleman has been appointed chair of the new Oxford Growth Commission.
Neale’s experience in regeneration includes his work for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London and the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The commission seeks to accelerate plans for new housing, jobs and infrastructure across the city and forms part of wider Government plans to deliver the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.
Its aims include helping unblock stalled development sites, assessing areas of potential investment and bringing councils and developers together to assemble land faster for major infrastructure projects.
Neale said: “I’m delighted to take on this role of chairing the Growth Commission. The commission brings together national Government with partners from business, higher education and local government.
“Together we can provide new and united leadership in accelerating growth and opportunity and improving the quality of life for everyone who lives in Oxford and the surrounding areas. Oxford starts with amazing resources in the world-leading quality of its universities, the talents of its people and its innovative businesses.
“We can use all this as a springboard to accelerate and unblock barriers to sustainable growth, delivering new job opportunities and more affordable housing, as well as investing in sustainable travel and energy and nature recovery.”
Cllr Susan Brown, leader of Oxford City Council, said: “Oxford has the ideas, skills and track record to drive inclusive local and national economic growth, but we have always known we need the right conditions to go further, faster.
“We have big ambitions for the future of Oxford. I welcome today’s appointment of Neale Coleman as the chair of the Oxford Growth Commission.
“The city council and universities lobbied Government to create this Commission to help us collectively address local infrastructure needs and barriers to growth. Neale’s track record in delivering large-scale projects, such as the Olympic Games, securing growth and propelling regeneration aligns with our own.
“I look forward to working with him, and the wider Growth Commission, to unlock new opportunities that benefit the people here in Oxford – such as reopening the Cowley Branch Line, bringing forward Oxford West End and a new Oxford station – as well as supporting the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor and driving economic growth across the UK.”
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