As part of the Chancellor’s series of meetings with the UK’s
growth sectors, , met with construction and
infrastructure leaders in No11 Downing Street this morning to
discuss reforms announced at Autumn Statement to accelerate
infrastructure delivery.
They discussed the government’s ambitious package of planning
reforms to support business investment and speed up the delivery
of infrastructure, which includes introducing a new accelerated
planning service for major applications, unlocking commercial
development where it is needed and further reforms to bring
consent times for major infrastructure back down to two and a
half years. This is alongside plans to accelerate the delivery of
new electricity network infrastructure and speed up grid
connections across Great Britain which could bring forward £90bn
of investment over the next 10 years.
The Chancellor set out how infrastructure will continue to be
crucial in driving the UK’s economic growth and productivity, and
the private sector will continue to play a critical role in this.
He emphasised the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) is
the largest it's ever been, with the Infrastructure and Projects
Authority’s (IPA) most recent National Infrastructure and
Construction Pipeline (NICP) consisting of over 600 projects,
worth over £700bn over the next 10 years.
Leaders from some of the biggest construction firms along with
senior representatives from across the infrastructure sector
shared views on the opportunities and challenges they are facing
ahead of Spring Budget, and how the government can ensure the
current and future planning reforms deliver the biggest benefit.
The Chancellor closed the meeting by emphasising that despite
already working on these reforms the government would like to
continue to work with UK companies to further explore ways to
improve delivery of major infrastructure projects. He sighted
this as a sector vital for growing the economy, helping the
government deliver the long-term change the country needs to
deliver a brighter future for Britain, and improve economic
security and opportunity for everyone.
Notes to editors
- The Chancellor met with Mace, Skanska, Macquarie, Costain,
Arup, Institute of Civil Engineers, Tilbury Douglas, Build UK,
KPMG, and Equans UK & Ireland.
