500 projects planned to strengthen UK infrastructure

Summary

After conducting comprehensive cross-sectoral analysis of the UK’s infrastructure networks, the Government plans to implement over 500 projects to ensure it is maintained and improved over time.

The Treasury and Infrastructure UK sets out the three-tiered strategy for meeting the infrastructure needs of the UK economy in the ‘National Infrastructure Plan 2011’:

Firstly, the Government will plan for the medium term and across sectors
Secondly, a new approach to coordinate public and private investment in UK infrastructure will mobilise the finance required to deliver these projects
Thirdly, ensuring the projects are delivered efficiently and on time.

Additional investment in infrastructure will be funded through further reductions in current spending. The Government will act to facilitate the private investment that will finance the majority of the UK's infrastructure.

Investment covers:

bringing in new investors into UK infrastructure;
introducing new sources of revenue such as tolling;
allowing local authorities more flexibility in the way they use local receipts to fund major infrastructure in specific circumstances; and
being willing to consider guarantees against specific risks that the market cannot bear.

Priority will be given to those projects most critical for economic growth to ensure the infrastructure in the Plan is delivered efficiently and on time. The Government is also reforming the planning and consenting systems to tackle these sources of cost and delay in infrastructure delivery.

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