Landowner engagement for East West Rail

East West Railway Company (EWR Co) is developing plans for a new railway between Oxford and Cambridge, linking people with jobs, schools, services and each other, opening up new journeys, cutting travel times, easing road congestion and supporting sustainable economic growth across the region. 

It is one of the UK’s most complex and sensitive infrastructure programmes and ‘megaprojects’. It involves building and upgrading railway infrastructure across a long, varied and already developed corridor between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge, affecting thousands of land and property interests along the route.

The project requires carefully targeted engagement with individuals and organisations whose circumstances, concerns and exposure to the proposals vary widely, from major landowners and multinational businesses to small local firms, tenants on short commercial leases, homeowners, farmers and community assets. It also sits within a highly scrutinised political environment, with local leaders who support the project, others who remain opposed or unconvinced, strong project advocates and organised opposition all seeking clear answers about what the proposals mean in practice.

Working within a sensitive and complex infrastructure programme, EWR Co wanted to make sure that communications with landowners are clear, empathetic and consistent. The goal was to reduce avoidable queries and escalation, build trust and support the timely agreement of survey access and voluntary arrangements. The project is fast paced and effective interaction with people is vital given the need to submit an application for a Development Consent Order.

Insights and approach

Effective stakeholder engagement in infrastructure communications depends on clarity, consistency and timing, particularly when issues are sensitive, such as compulsory acquisition or accessing private land for surveys. 

Using our extensive knowledge of East West Rail following six years of working on the project, we acted as a strategic link between EWR Co’s Land and Property and External Engagement teams, ensuring alignment between technical information and wider planning communications. 

Our approach combined additional capacity with specialist expertise. We started by developing a communications strategy for land and survey work which set out a strategic approach to ensuring co-ordinated, clear and empathetic landowner communications. We then established a planning process that ensured careful cross-team co-ordination and collaboration, and avoided communications fatigue amongst landowners.   

We drafted and quality-assured landowner engagement materials – including survey licence cover letters, letters to directly affected landowners, consultation materials and FAQs about land impacts, surveys and property acquisition issues – ensuring a consistently clear, warm and open tone of voice and improving accessibility without losing technical accuracy. 

We supported engagement planning around evolving programme requirements, helping teams anticipate landowner concerns and respond proactively. For more complex or higher-risk issues, we advised on strategic and de-risked engagement planning, and developed clear lines-to-take, enabling confident and consistent responses. 

We also ensured land and property considerations were fully reflected in wider external affairs activity, including briefings for MPs, media and other key stakeholder along the route.