London First director David Leam said last week that the “bandwidth of Brexit is taking up so much time in central Government” that good proposals are being put on hold. “Domestic policy is in the deep freeze and that is a problem,” he said.

“However the pendulum will swing and there will come a point this year when the Government realises it needs to get back to bread and butter issues.” He added that the focus may move onto delivering a long term plan for infrastructure investment and there may be a need to create some stimulus with shorter term projects.

“We should all be ready; suddenly there may be windows of opportunity for projects. So while it is a bit gloomy at the moment, things will change and we need to be ready for that.”

David also said that while cost over runs on Crossrail were frustrating, “I don’t detect any change of appetite for infrastructure at a political level” and he believes Ministers still see the benefits of investing in major schemes. “But no doubt officials from the Department for Transport and the Treasury are going to ask more questions”, he added.

There is no shortage of good project proposals for London and the South East, he pointed out, including Crossrail 2, the Bakerloo Line Extension, a Docklands Light Rail link to Thamesmead and taking the Elizabeth Line out to Ebbsfleet. But the problem is how to pay for it. “Public subsidy is under pressure like never before and I find it very hard to see a long term plan for infrastructure that doesn’t involve some sort of meaningful contribution from fare payers and tax payers”.

David added that existing homeowners are “probably the single biggest untapped beneficiaries” of transport enhancements “but there is political sensitivity in telling homeowners they have to contribute”.

David Leam was speaking at a ‘Transport led development in London and the South East’ event, hosted by Waterfront.

(Photograph: Transport for London)