The UK construction industry has been energised by the government’s 10 year infrastructure strategy announcements- read more about their reactions here
It’s been a busy week for policy announcements in the wake of the UK government’s spending review presented by chancellor Rachel Reeves last week.
Since then, HS2 was slammed with multiple reports criticising financial mismanagement by the previous Conservative government and current transport secretary Heidi Alexander saying that there was “no reasonable way” the project would be ready before 2035- two years after the existing deadline.
The new 10-year infrastructure strategy announced yesterday promised billions of pounds of investment across energy, amenities and digital connectivity – with housing a particular focus. The UK construction industry spans all of these sectors and has been energised by the strategy announcements.
The response to the 10-year infrastructure strategy was overwhelmingly positive
Justin Young, chief executive at RICS
“The ten-year infrastructure strategy announced by the UK Government is a timely announcement on the back of the new National Housing Bank announced earlier this week. If we are to meet the 1.5m housebuilding target the Government set last year, we need the critical infrastructure – the roads, schools, hospitals and other social service buildings that go with it. It is not enough to just build homes – we must build communities with them, and this starts with a clear, joined-up infrastructure strategy that incorporates long-term thinking and vision.
“This new strategy sets the country on a considerably clearer path and represents a significant shift in how the Government approaches infrastructure and industrial capacity. Importantly, it seeks to unlock development across the country while promoting sustainability and energy efficiency. Ongoing skills and labour shortages stifle construction projects and investment in skills for new professionals and upskilling for industry veterans is another promising development. Confidence is critical for the construction industry, and this strategy sets a powerful message of intent to meet the challenges of the next ten years.”
Chris Ball, UK & Ireland president, AtkinsRéalis
“There is much to welcome in today’s Infrastructure Strategy and the certainty provided by a long-term plan backed up by funding and new approaches to secure private finance and streamline planning.
“This is a comprehensive plan for renewal, regeneration and growth: upgrading ageing networks and buildings, strengthening resilience to extreme weather, and delivering the new infrastructure needed to unlock growth across the country. The Infrastructure Strategy reflects the scale and breadth of development needed to enable sustainable growth across the country and AtkinsRéalis is ready to help deliver against the priorities it sets out.
“Across the UK, there are plenty of projects being delivered through new, collaborative approaches and increasing use of data and technology to drive efficiencies and productivity in project delivery which can be adopted throughout the supply chain. Combined with new approaches to place-based growth, there is much opportunity to deliver better outcomes for people, place and communities.”
Huw Jones, executive director, civil engineering at BAM UK & Ireland
“We welcome the Government’s 10-year infrastructure strategy as a vital step toward unlocking long-term investment and delivering real value for UK society. For too long, infrastructure planning has been constrained by short-term political cycles. This strategy marks a turning point. A stable, coordinated pipeline – underpinned by a £725bn investment commitment – gives the industry confidence to invest in skills, innovation, and productivity – ultimately driving economic growth and supporting the Government’s strategic goals. Even a 1% increase in productivity across major projects can deliver significant gains to UK GDP, and this strategy gives us the platform to achieve that.
“This long-term view enables better planning, smarter procurement, and stronger partnerships between the public and private sectors. It also ensures that infrastructure investment leaves a lasting legacy – through energy resilience, infrastructure for housing support, social infrastructure, and meaningful career opportunities across the UK. We look forward to working with Government to turn this strategy into action.”
Karen Carter, director of national delivery at procurement specialist Pagabo
“One of the biggest talking points for the built environment of late has been the need for certainty and confidence – and the publication of the 10-year UK Infrastructure Strategy today certainly does a lot to support both of these.
“Labour’s promise to ‘Get Britain Building’ is now underpinned by this strategy and billions of funding covering new schemes, maintenance and upgrades, decarbonisation and improving energy and transport networks just to name a few. Combined with the interactive portal launching in July, this should provide the industry with the levels of confidence and certainty it’s been craving. Perhaps even more importantly, these announcements should foster certainty and confidence in the private sector too, enabling more private sector partnerships and funding to accelerate delivery.
“There’s also a clear goal to create the maximum social value possible with a place-based approach and better social infrastructure – delivering not just homes and buildings, but bringing together travel networks, education, healthcare, homes, public realm and cultural offerings places that truly work for their communities.
“We welcome the news there will be further consultation on procurement reforms to ‘better support social value and SMEs’ – showing that government understands just how powerful procurement can be in unlocking social value. The right processes and early engagement are key – and with renewed certainty and confidence, the built environment can bring together the partnerships needed to make this strategy a reality.”
Rob Pearson, executive director of Nexus Analytics & Research
“It is clear that the Infrastructure Plan is taking the issue of investment in road and other transport infrastructure very seriously and is tacitly acknowledging that the aim of 1.5m new homes simply won’t be achieved unless the Treasury acknowledges the need to fund projects which local councils and developers simply cannot afford. This is an issue which has, and still is, holding up a number of Local Plan examinations and major development proposals.
“There is also a clear message to local authorities about the need to plan properly for social infrastructure. This gets its own section in the Infrastructure Plan, demonstrating the importance of providing social infrastructure with Local and Strategic planning documents”.
Some voices were wary that the announcement simply repackaged old policies
Richard Cook, senior director – Economics, Pegasus Group
“Today’s announcement is essentially the repackaging of a lot of existing policies and promises. Of course, £725bn investment into infrastructure is a welcome and much-needed commitment: it could prove transformational in boosting the UK’s overall productivity. But it also would have been good to see more ‘meat on the bone’ in the Strategy itself.
“Focusing on both economic and social value – such as championing transport connectivity between towns and cities – will be valuable in keeping the UK a competitive economy, so it is positive that the Strategy recognises this.
“As a nation, we are under serious pressure to grow, and infrastructure investment is essential for this. The UK will need to meet its ambitious targets for levelling up its infrastructure and housing; but to do so, the construction sector urgently needs a boost to its workforce. The Strategy’s funding commitment will make a big difference in plugging the construction skills gap, but we need this to start to come to fruition now.”
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