Civil engineering contractors are calling for the creation of an independent commission to foster a more long term approach to infrastructure planning.

The Civil Engineering Contractors Association says that Government should seek cross party support to establish such a commission to identify opportunities and challenges facing the UK and deliver projects that are on time and budget.

“Infrastructure planning in the UK has historically lacked a long term strategy,” said CECA chief executive Alasdair Reisner. “This has meant that large projects such as Crossrail and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link have taken far too long to develop and build. Today the delays we see in solving the problems of airport capacity reflect this challenge.

“These delays, mainly caused by a lack of political consensus, have been costly for the taxpayer and UK plc.”

Mr Reisner was responding to the publication of a report published this week by think tank the Institute for Government, which called for the UK to change how it makes decisions about infrastructure policy.

The ‘Political Economy of Infrastructure’ report says the UK must better engage with local communities and interest groups when making key decisions. Co author Miguel Coelho said: “Poor policy making processes could lock the economy into inadequate infrastructure systems for many years to come, placing a heavy burden on future prosperity.”

The Institute says that the UK needs to encourage “participatory democracy and deliberation” to make infrastructure decision making more constructive.

(Photo: Highways Agency)