Industry first as the National Needs Assessment, chaired by Sir John Armitt CBE, presents vision for the future of UK infrastructure

The National Needs Assessment (NNA) of UK infrastructure was launched on Wed.19 October at the ICE HQ in London following a collaboration of experts. The assessment has taken place over the past 15 months engaging with a wide range of parties including industry, investors, environmental, legal and professional bodies, and politicians and opinion formers.  (Gareth Williams, Head of Policy, SCDI is a member of the NNA Executive Group).

The Report, the first of its kind, outlines the changing demands on infrastructure services:

• Demand pressures from population growth, demographic changes, climate change and economic trends will alter how infrastructure is used in the future;
• Energy (particularly electricity), transport and digital will provide the greatest opportunities to deal positively with these changes;
• Housing and infrastructure must be planned together to create thriving communities and spread economic growth. 

Population growth will continue to put pressure on services, particularly in areas already under stress, such as the South East. Combined with resilience challenges from climate change we face a very different world.

The NNA vision imagines a nation with balanced economic growth, thriving communities and a low carbon future. It sets out how the UK can become a world leader in a new technology-driven revolution in infrastructure services.

A series of recommendations are made by the NNA to develop infrastructure that will position the UK as an innovative global trading nation. It is a... (Read more)