National Infrastructure Commission

Today we've been listening to and poring over the #Budget - and there are a number of announcements of relevance to our work on #infrastructure, including on changes to rules on capital spending, connecting #HS2 to Euston and additional funds to fix #potholes across the roads network. Our our website we've put out three short statements in response to each of these elements in the budget. https://lnkd.in/e8-57Qft

It's a year since we launched the second National Infrastructure Assessment, our fully costed, long term plan for meeting the UK's #infrastructure needs up to 2055, and beyond. Time flies! To mark this, we shot a brief video with our Chair Sir John Armitt and Deputy Chair Julia Prescot CBE talking about the impact the Assessment's had since and the priorities for action and investment, and looking ahead to our changing role as the Commission becomes part of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority - NISTA for short. Watch it via the link: https://lnkd.in/eGyRzC5V

Thanks to officials at the The North East Combined Authority for hosting a wide-ranging discussion yesterday between our Deputy Chair Julia Prescot CBE and Commissioner Kate Willard OBE and leaders from across the regions business community and public sector about how infrastructure investment and planning can best support the region's growth ambitions. Enabling the transition to a low carbon economy, improving transport connectivity in a way that supports rural and urban parts of the region equally, and boosting the resilience of the region's existing infrastructure were features of the conversation. Infrastructure's crucial role in enabling economic growth, boosting the region's skills base and helping it retain talented workers within its boundaries, was evident through the discussion - and regional leaders want to be deeply engaged in the strategic planning about the nation's long term infrastructure needs. Commissioners later in the day had an opportunity to learn about the great work done by Newcastle's The Skill Mill, which provides vital environmental management skills training, education and employment for young people in Newcastle at risk of exposure to the criminal justice system. https://lnkd.in/ePMJ8mVT

"Good design is absolutely integral to successful project delivery" - those are the words of our Chair Sir John Armitt in the foreword to our Project-Level Design Principles guidance published in May this year. And it's an appropriate sentiment today given that a major piece of #infrastucture - London's #ElizabethLine - has won the 2024 #StirlingPrize for architecture. Our guidance highlights that the application of good design at every stage of a major project pays off in the end. In this case, the creation of a mass transit project that has transformed the experience of travellers traversing our capital city - albeit after a few bumps along the way - and is now one of the busiest rail lines in the country. How to create a structured process on any major #infrastructure project that enables tailored design principles to be applied at every stage of a project life cycle - and generate similar great design outcomes on future projects not just in transport but in energy, water and flood resilience infrastructure too - is at the heart of our Design Group's Project Level Design Principles guidance. This win for infrastructure design therefore is a timely reminder to encourage anyone leading a major infrastructure project to check out these principles, if you haven't already. They offer practical guidance on how project leads can apply the Commission's Design Principles to generate support for schemes from stakeholders, deliver as broad a range of benefits as possible, and generate a smoother planning and consenting process, each of which can help reduce unexpected costs later on in a project's lifecycle. You can download the project-level principles here: https://lnkd.in/eT5wzdMj https://lnkd.in/ePzGcrgn

Our Director of Policy Margaret Read talks about the Commission's approach to the challenge of decarbonising domestic #heating, in a podcast interview with Energy Live News as part of its online conference looking at the first #100Days of the new government https://lnkd.in/e9v2baHB

In today's Times - ahead of the International Investment Summit - the CEOs of five of the UK's biggest banks set out the priorities they think the government must adopt to boost investment for the long term. Creating investor confidence is their first priority; they note that "the scale of the challenge has been laid out starkly by the National Infrastructure Commission, which estimates that £40 billion to £50 billion of private capital is needed each year for the next two decades to modernise the country’s essential infrastructure", referencing one of the key statistics from our second National Infrastructure Assessment. You can read the full the article here [note - paywall] https://lnkd.in/eJaHKyAH

This graphic from our new report looking at the #costdrivers of major infrastructure projects in the UK illustrates how the four root causes we identified can combine to create systemic failures of #cost management. Download the report here: https://lnkd.in/eBq4cbuT

Today we've published new analysis looking at the factors which can drive up the costs of major #infrastructure projects in the UK. Given recent high profile examples and the significant programme of investment in infrastructure over the next few decades which we set out in last year's second National Infrastructure Assessment, addressing these #costdrivers is crucial. Our report finds that if appropriate action is taken, this could translate into reductions of between ten and 25 per cent in outturn costs across a portfolio of enhancement projects across different sectors. Our report looks in detail behind the four root causes that can lead to systemic failures in cost management on major projects: - a lack of clear strategic direction, - client and sponsorship challenges, - inefficient consenting and compliance, - and a constrained supply chain. Our team looked at existing studies to help understand the factors which impact on the cost of major projects, along with evidence from discussions with a range of organisations responsible for schemes across different infrastructure sectors. Find the report - and the two accompanying annexes - here on our website: https://lnkd.in/ea5BBBCb

Our Commissioner Jim Hall is featured in this video produced by Content With Purpose for CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management), talking about the importance of #climate #adaptation and improving the UK's resilience to climate impacts. Useful opportunity to remind followers to check out our recent report setting out the case for clearer national standards for #resilience, which you can find on our website. https://lnkd.in/e6Hz8Sxi

Our Commissioner Jim Hall has written a short piece for New Civil Engineer magazine setting out the thinking behind the Commission's recent report on the need for clear national standards for #infrastructure #resilience. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/eXchyGSy