The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) and infrastructure specialists Parsons Brinckerhoff and Balfour Beatty today launched the results of an initiative that provides a detailed ‘route map’ for change and suggests new and innovative models for funding transport infrastructure.

Infrastructure Funding & Delivery: An Action Plan for Change provides ideas, solutions and recommendations to ensure that the infrastructure necessary for the UK to deliver economic growth and to compete globally can be planned, funded, constructed or improved in fiscally restrained times.

The backdrop of significant economic change and severe restrictions on the public purse, has required decision makers in every field of public services, to find efficiencies in delivering services and to find new ways to construct necessary infrastructure.  The economic growth that is so fundamental to overcoming the current recession is enabled through improved access to markets, labour skills and international gateways.  This was recognised in the Government’s National Infrastructure Plan (2010), which invited the industry to come forward with pragmatic, achievable and deliverable ideas to help drive and enable economic growth.

Sue Percy, CIHT Chief Executive said:

“The funding and delivery of UK infrastructure needs to change to ensure that the infrastructure necessary for the UK to compete globally is in place, planned and improved over the short, medium and longer term.

“The report contains a number of recommendations including that the UK’s National Infrastructure Plan should be extended to include a 20 year timeline to help provide private investors with the confidence that they need. Our members have highlighted that this commitment alongside a clear and consistent message on where infrastructure is needed and likely to be financially viable are crucial in moving the agenda forward. ”

Nick Flew, Managing Director, Parsons Brinckerhoff EUMENA, said:

“Finding solutions and developing new models for infrastructure investment means clients, governments and the private sector must come together and agree a way forward. Unfortunately the UK’s status as a developed economy has perhaps made us complacent that increasing improvements in our existing infrastructure would always continue with minimal investment.

“The tough choices now needed to renew and increase the capacity of our infrastructure to support economic growth cannot be put off forever. How we meet this challenge will, in part, influence the security, prosperity and well-being of the UK for future generations.”

Infrastructure Funding & Delivery: An Action Plan for Change provides key findings, ideas, solutions and specific recommendations for UK decision makers. It provides a detailed ‘route map’ for change and suggests a comprehensive set of measures that should be applied in the short, medium and long term. The recommendations include:

Short term - ensure greater private sector investment through gap and forward funding initiatives; better define the roles of Local Enterprise Partnerships and local authorities in infrastructure delivery; allow small scale congestion charging schemes on their individual merits; and pursue the principles of ‘road user’ charging based on current successful examples.

Medium term - encourage the government to introduce mechanisms for the wider economic benefits of transport infrastructure to be captured as revenue streams; create transport infrastructure investment portfolios to spread risk; and provide a mechanism for local communities to invest in infrastructure that provides them with a direct benefit and return.

Long term - encourage the development of a 20-year transport infrastructure plan to ensure successive governments commit to a long term strategy to achieve best ‘whole life’ value; introduce mechanisms to attract private sector funding of transport improvements that serve existing developments and regeneration; and encourage the creation of a regulated private sector market for transport infrastructure investment.


Issued by:
Daniel Isichei - Director of Communications, CIHT
Tel +44 (0) 20 7336 1567; Mob: 07912122573; Daniel.Isichei@ciht.org.uk  

Nick Welsh - Parsons Brinckerhoff
Tel: +44 (0)1483 528568; Mob: 07770 832838; welshn@pbworld.com

Notes to editors:

A copy of the full report is below, is being distributed to the Secretary of State and Ministers for Transport and key stakeholders as well as being featured at a series of key workshops around the UK.

Infrastructure Funding and Delivery: an action plan for change

Infrastructure Funding Report

New podcast available below

David Carter on Infrastructure Funding Report

For more information please contact:
Daniel Isichei, Director of Communications, CIHT on t: +44 (0) 20 7336 1567 m: 07912122573 e: Daniel.Isichei@ciht.org.uk