Interim National Infrastructure Assessment, Congestion, Capacity, Carbon

On 5 October 2015, the then-Chancellor George Osborne announced the creation of a National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) to provide an unbiased analysis of the UK's long-term infrastructure needs, delivering a long-term assessment and plan early in each parliament.

It is intended to report every five years, looking 30 years ahead and to examine the evidence across sectors including; energy, roads, rail transport, ports and airports, water supply, waste, flood defences, digital and broadband, and how investment could support housing development.

On 13 October 2013, the NIC published an interim National Infrastructure Assessment, Congestion, Capacity, Carbon: Priorities for national infrastructure. Consultation on a National Infrastructure Assessment, examining seven key areas, and setting out the vision and priorities for helping meet the country’s needs up to 2050:

• Building a digital society.
• Connected, liveable city-regions.
• Infrastructure to support housing.
• Eliminating carbon emissions from energy and waste.
• A revolution in road transport.
• Reducing the risk of drought and flooding.
• Financing and funding infrastructure in efficient ways.

The interim assessment identifies key priorities for consideration and consultation in preparation for the NIC's 2018 National Infrastructure Strategy.

Launching the interim assessment, NIC chairman Lord Adonis, warned that the UK faces gridlock on the roads, railways and in the skies, as well as slower mobile and broadband connections and ever-worsening air quality unless the government tackles congestion, capacity and carbon. He suggested that the most serious infrastructure failure of all was the inability to reach a firm decision on expanding Heathrow Airport ,13 years after the initial statement of policy.

Lord Adonis said; “We cannot afford to sit on our hands – Ministers must act now to tackle the Three Cs of congestion, capacity and carbon if we are to have infrastructure fit for the future, supporting economic growth across the country.”

He also warned that infrastructure is not just a job for Whitehall, urging local leaders to develop their own plans to meet the needs of their communities.

The deadline for responses to the interim assessment consultation was 12 January 2018.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• Building our Industrial Strategy: green paper.
• Construction 2025.
• Osborne launches National Infrastructure Commission.
• Government construction strategy.
• Infrastructure and Projects Authority.
• Infrastructure UK.
• National Infrastructure Commission NIC.
• National Infrastructure Commission’s Annual Monitoring Report 2020.
• National Infrastructure Plan.
• National Infrastructure Pipeline.
• National Infrastructure Plan for Skills.
• National Needs Assessment NNA.
• Will government waste the opportunity of the National Infrastructure Assessment?