Government reaffirms commitment to infrastructure investment

The government has reiterated its commitment to its long-term infrastructure strategy in the wake of the UK formally announcing its intention to leave the European Union following the triggering of Article 50.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke, said the government had consigned short-term thinking on infrastructure spending to the past and instead was now planning decades in advance.

Mr Gauke said: “When it comes to projects of scale, complexity and cost, this simply isn’t an industry that talks in terms of months and years, it’s one that plans decades ahead. And for so long, governments of the day have been rightly, and roundly, criticised, for failing to take that adequately into account.”

Last year the government published its National Infrastructure Delivery Plan outlining how it will deliver key infrastructure projects and programmes.

Mr Gauke, however, described the creation of two bodies as “game-changing” in delivering infrastructure projects – the NIC and the IPA.

Former Chancellor George Osborne established the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) in 2015 and is currently headed up Lord Adonis to provide independent infrastructure advice to the government.

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) was formed last year by the merger of Infrastructure UK and the Major Projects Authority to oversee the delivery of the projects to ensure they come in on schedule and within budget.

The Secretary cited the flagship projects of Hinkley Point C, HS2 and supporting a new runway at Heathrow as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to investing heavily in British infrastructure.

Mr Gauke said that infrastructure spending was at the heart of government strategy, highlighting the National Productivity Investment Fund, worth an extra £23Bn, announced in the Autumn Statement and also the Industrial Strategy Green Paper launched earlier in the year.

The Secretary also stressed the importance of advancements in technology in both new and existing infrastructure. Last April, the government mandated the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) Level 2 in public sector construction projects. The move has been seen by many within the construction industry as a key moment in changing how projects are delivered both at home and overseas.

The government is currently examining the role technology can play in construction projects through its Future Cities Catapult and Digital Built Britain initiatives.

Mr Gauke said the NIC would also be producing a report later in the year on the role of technology in infrastructure.

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