29 Apr 2025
Image description: An aerial shot of a house-build in progress, with scaffolding around the property and two builders on the roof. Image by Steffen Coonan / Pexels. Planning reforms aim to slash delivery time and cost The Labour Government has said their planning reforms will “slash a year off infrastructure delivery”, after announcing it […]
10 Apr 2025
Image Description: Water treatment facility from a birds-eye view. Image by Tom Fisk. In a letter sent to water companies, Ofwat Chief Executive David Black has urged water companies to look into ways 30 major infrastructure projects can be delivered faster and more efficiently over the next 15 years. In reviewing their projects, Ofwat […]
06 Feb 2025
Serious concerns are emerging about the condition of critical infrastructure – particularly ageing highways assets – both in the UK and around the world. Photo credit: Altaf Shah That is the core theme of the ICE’s State of the Nation 2025 report. Informed by technical experts from across the UK, the report takes a […]
27 Jan 2025
As part of its commitment to “getting Britain building again”, the government is publishing a series of working papers on different aspects of planning reform, designed to inform further policy development in collaboration with the wider sector. The latest paper invites views on how the government could reform the process for consenting Nationally Significant Infrastructure […]
16 Oct 2024
A new report by the National Infrastructure Commission analyses the factors that can contribute to increased costs on major infrastructure projects. With significant new infrastructure needed over coming decades to deliver net zero, support economic growth across the UK and improve our resilience to the impacts of climate change, improved cost management will better enable […]
25 Sep 2024
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has published a new report calling for the Government to set clear standards of resilience that infrastructure operators must maintain in the face of sudden shocks. The NIC says that climate change and related weather extremes, alongside a heightened reliance on digital technologies, mean that the UK faces increased risks […]
25 Sep 2024
The Planning Inspectorate has published guidance on how Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) will need to take the requirements of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) into account. It said when reporting and on an NSIP application, the examining authority will need to consider the potential effects of any proposed development on: The environmental objectives and […]
07 Aug 2024
The government has published a new consultation seeking views on the proposed approach to revising the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in order to achieve sustainable growth in our planning system. The government is also seeking views on a series of wider policy proposals in relation to increasing planning fees, local plan intervention criteria and […]
