Rumours that it intends to ditch the Ox-Cam Arc project have been denied by the Government.

It comes after the Secretary of State said the housing figures for it were "inflated and unhelpful", and that the idea of intense development between Oxford and Cambridge is "overstated".

In answer to a question about the current state of the proposals at a meeting of the department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Secretary of State Michael Gove said: “We are talking to all the local authorities involved but I think that some of the figures that have been bandied around about housing growth related to the Ox-Cam Arc have been both inflated and unhelpful.”

And he added: “Oxford and Cambridge are jewels in the UK’s crown. They will grow. There will be some uncomfortable conversations about how that growth manifests itself but anyone who thinks that we’re going to try to constrain that... I think that’s wrong.

“But it is also the case that the idea that you can create a sort of a ribbon development between Oxford and Cambridge, as intense as that which has been suggested, I think that is overstated.”

READ ALSO: Takeaway to appeal 120k fire-safety breaches fine

The controversial Arc plans aim to boost the economies of Cambridge and Oxford, and towns in between including Milton Keynes and Bedford, and help boost new firms with links to the universities.

But there has been opposition from MPs, environmentalists and people living in areas marked out for development.

The original aim of building a million new homes by 2050 has been dropped and plans for a major new road, the Expressway, linking the two cities were scrapped in 2021, but the East-West rail link is still going ahead.

The comments follow leaks and rumours that the Government has been stepping back from the scheme since Mr Gove took over as Secretary of State from Robert Jenrick in October 2021.

Earlier this year Mr Gove made a toilet flushing gesture in answer to a colleague asking him about the future of the Ox-Cam Arc. 

Government officials have reportedly told local authorities that it has dropped the idea of a centrally-driven project to drive an “arc” of development.

Nick Burton, spokesman for campaigners Stop The Arc Group, said: “So there we have it. The Ox-Cam Arc is well and truly broken, and the Government is apparently going to do absolutely nothing to stop unconstrained growth of Oxford and Cambridge cities.

"This is the first official statement of the Government's position on the Arc, after many months of leaks and rumours and, even, mimes of flushing the Arc down a toilet from the Secretary of State himself.

“It's clear that the Arc proposals don't fit with levelling-up ambitions, housing policies, environmental commitments, economic reality, or public opinion. Our published survey showed 90 per cent opposition.”

Mr Burton added: “The notion of one million new houses, and a band of development across five counties came from the Government's own departments and advisors, supported by the Arc Leaders Group, and housebuilders and their consultants.

“The Government is now saying its own ambitions are inflated and is walking back on its previously stated aims to build, in effect, nine major new cities between Oxford and Cambridge.”

READ ALSO: Drivers speak out over petrol crisis fue costs

South Oxford District Council (SODC) wrote to Mr Gove to call a halt to the plans last October.

Support is also fading for the Arc Leaders Group (ALG), which includes representatives of the five counties impacted by the Arc proposals.

Buckinghamshire Council withdrew from the group in October 2020 and Fenlands Council have refused to join while at least two local authorities have suspended work on the project, according to campaigners.

A DLUHC spokesperson said: “The OxCam Arc is a globally renowned hub of innovation, with businesses and universities that are leading the way in life sciences, space and green technologies.

“In October last year, the Government ran a public consultation gathering views to shape the vision for this unique area. We continue to work through next steps, and will provide more information in due course.”