The Government has today released details of its £500 billion-plus infrastructure investment pipeline which includes major projects such as the £4.2 billion Thames Tideway Tunnel and the rollout of smart meters.

The new National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline, setting out over £500 billion worth of planned private and public investment over this Parliament and beyond with more than 40% of the pipeline being delivered via government investment - although it is set out with the proviso that "the overall pipeline is not a statement of need or a commitment to undertake all or any specific projects or programmes shown."

The pipleline includes £4 billion of investment in flood defences (nearly £3 billion to 2020/21), including the Calder Valley and Leeds Phase 2 flood defence schemes. The Environment Agency’s £2.3 billion six-year flood defence programme to 2021, which is based on a partnership funding model to encourage private investment, is included in the pipeline.

The pipeline, which is being published by the government’s Infrastructure and Projects Authority, is intended to provide a single source of data for both government and the private sector, giving greater certainty for investors and suppliers.

Today’s pipeline is the largest and most comprehensive ever, with private finance making up more than half of the pipeline to 2020/21, and will help deliver important local projects across the country including transport, flood defence and housing.

The government has also today published a new funding and finance supplement to help attract further private sector investment into some of the UK’s most important infrastructure projects.

The Government said the record planned investment sends a clear signal that government is working successfully with private investors to unlock the vital infrastructure that modern Britain needs.

The new National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline contains:

• over £500 billion of planned investment, with over £300 billion of this to be invested by 2020/21
• over 720 projects and programmes across transport, housing and digital to fire up the nation’s infrastructure
• around 20 new schemes have been added to the pipeline since March 2016, including the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway

Chief Executive of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA), Tony Meggs commented:

“Creating the IPA has enabled us to produce a more comprehensive pipeline. Having the visibility and certainty of a pipeline of construction and infrastructure investment allows industry to invest strategically for the market, not just tactically for the project. We will continue this comprehensive approach, working with industry to deliver the pipeline.”

Civil engineering contractors have welcomed the publication of the latest version of the pipeline which now contains schemes worth half a trillion pounds of investment as providing much-needed visibility of forward work.

Commenting on today’s publication of Alasdair Reisner, Chief Executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) which represents over 300 contractors of all sizes and covers approximately 80% of the civil engineering market in Great Britain said:

“If the UK infrastructure sector is to plan for the investment in skills and innovation that will be required to deliver world-class infrastructure in the coming years, it is essential that companies are able to strategically allocate funding on a basis of projected need.”

“The infrastructure pipeline is a crucial tool that enables companies to plan ahead and deliver optimal outcomes for clients, taxpayers, and communities.”

The merger of the National Infrastructure and Construction Pipelines into one has delivered on a pledge made in the IPA’s National Infrastructure Delivery Plan which set out the government’s plans to support the delivery of housing, and social and economic infrastructure.

Click here to download the National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline.