Olympic Delivery Authority chair Sir John Armitt has been appointed by the Labour Party  to conduct an independent review of  the UK’s infrastructure needs.

The announcement was made during Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls' speech to the Party’s annual conference in Manchester this week when he said that consensus was essential for the development of the country’s national infrastructure.

Sir John will consider how long term infrastructure decision making, planning, delivery and finance can be radically improved and will be drawing up plans for a “commission or process, independent of government that can assess and make proposals …..and help build that consensus,” Mr Balls said. 

“And at a time when Government budgets are tight we must think innovatively about how we can finance these vital projects over the coming decades, drawing on the private sector and long term pension savings.”

On Sir John’s agenda will be vital decisions on rail and airport capacity and how to get freight off the roads and onto the railways. “It won’t help that our grandchildren are all driving electric cars if they are still sat in gridlock on the M6 or M25,” Mr Balls said. 

Also on Sir John’s long list will be plans for investment in nuclear power, wind and tidal power, protection for the country from rising sea levels and exceptional rainfall along with a decision on whether to replace the Thames Barrier.

“The lesson of the Olympics is that if we approach major long term infrastructure projects by building a cross party sense of national purpose then we can deliver,” Mr Balls said.

“And yet it took 13 years from the opening of the Channel Tunnel to complete the High Speed Rail Link to London. Crossrail was delayed for decades.

“And why is this so often the case? Yes, our cumbersome planning system. Yes, legitimate concerns for the environment. Too often in the past, governments have assumed that vital public infrastructure can only be funded by public investment and then baulked at the bill.

“But above all successive governments – including our own – have ducked or delayed vital decisions on our national infrastructure allowing short term politics to come first."

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