A new policy paper from the leading professional body for civil engineers is calling on the government to accept in full the recommendations made in the National Infrastructure Assessment.

The Institution of Civil Engineers published the paper the day before confirmation of Boris Johnson as new Prime Minister and ahead of the expected publication of a National Infrastructure Strategy later this year.

The paper has been published alongside a new survey which shows the public believe the government is failing to plan for future infrastructure needs. The poll for the ICE reveals 72 per cent of British adults agree that the government is not planning for future infrastructure needs, which will lead to problems in the future.

Launching their report, the ICE Director General Nick Baveystock said:

“The government has a rare and important opportunity to produce the first strategy of this kind and ensure that future infrastructure delivery meets the needs of our society. The UK needs a national strategy that takes a holistic, evidence-based approach to planning and delivering infrastructure to ensure we deliver the best outcomes.

“Whoever the new PM is must heed the warning from the public and make creating a National Infrastructure Strategy a top priority.”

The paper says the complexity of the UK’s infrastructure needs to 2050 is unprecedented and that to be as effective as possible the National Infrastructure Strategy should:

1. Adopt the recommendations put forward by the National Infrastructure Assessment in full and demonstrate in detail how each will be delivered.

2. Set out support for new approaches to funding and financing infrastructure, including:

• a pay as you go model for England’s strategic road network by 2030
• the need for a UK financial institution to provide infrastructure finance in the event that the UK loses access to the European Investment Bank as a consequence of Brexit

3. Mandate the development of regional infrastructure strategies across England to ensure effective integration of infrastructure planning at multiple geographic scales.

4. Set out support for the principles of Project 13 as a new model to improve the delivery of major infrastructure projects and programmes.

5. Include a robust plan for driving up the use of digital technologies and innovative approaches to infrastructure delivery, including: offsite construction, standardisation and design for manufacture and assembly

ICE - infrastructure renewal must be “near the top of the new Prime Minister’s to-do list.”

In response, National Infrastructure Commission Chair Sir John Armitt today said the Institution of Civil Engineers’ report highlights that infrastructure renewal must be “near the top of the new Prime Minister’s to-do list.”

The National Infrastructure Assessment sets out the Commission’s formal advice on long-term priorities, and the government is required to provide a full and detailed response. It is expected to do so through a National Infrastructure Strategy in the autumn.

Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission Sir John Armitt said:

“Infrastructure renewal must be near the top of the new Prime Minister’s to-do list.

“The National Infrastructure Assessment offers them an ambitious and affordable programme to give the UK the world-class infrastructure it needs, and we welcome the ICE’s endorsement of its recommendations in full.”

Sir John has challenged the government to ensure its National Infrastructure Strategy meets the following four tests for credibility:

• A long term perspective – the strategy must look beyond the immediate spending review period and set out the government’s expectations for infrastructure funding and policy up to 2050;
• Clear goals and plans to achieve them – where the government endorses an Assessment recommendation, this should be backed up with a specific plan, with clear deadlines and identified owners, to ensure the Commission can easily check progress;
• A firm funding commitment – the government should commit to providing funding in line with the upper limit of the agreed guideline: 1.2% of GDP a year invested in infrastructure;
• A genuine commitment to change – recommendations such as devolving funding for urban transport to cities and a national standard for flood resilience are fundamental policy changes, and the strategy needs to respond in the same spirit.

The Assessment includes recommendations for delivering a national resilience standard to protect communities against the risk of flooding, and setting water companies a target to halve the amount of water lost to leakages to ensure supplies are resilient against an increased risk of drought.

Click here to download the Institution of Civil Engineers policy paper

Click here to download the NIC National Infrastructure Assessment