To get Britain building, we need a better business case for the built environment
Richard Robinson, UK & Ireland President, AtkinsRéalis
Investment in infrastructure can fast-track economic growth and unlock opportunity in every part of the UK, but turning ambition into action requires long-term plans centred on people, place and – above all – pace.
The last three months have seen admirable intent towards an infrastructure project pipeline, from new housing targets to tangible progress towards planning reform. This progress is important: with the public purse under pressure, accelerating the delivery of projects will help to stimulate the economy and tackle the pressing challenges of our ageing infrastructure and net-zero targets.
But investment in the built environment – when done well – also creates significant socio-economic value for people and place. Infrastructure investment creates opportunity across regions and builds thriving communities, from regeneration and inter-city connectivity to the sustainable growth ensured through energy security.
In short, outcome-based programmes can and must be the catalyst for Britain’s economic growth.
In many ways, this is not new. A new road has never been ‘just’ a road – it eases congestion, creates better journeys, connects people to jobs and education, and improves business access to transport networks, cities, and distribution hubs for commercial gain. But the ability to articulate a project’s full economic and social value and its cost/benefit ratio for people and place is vital when every pound spent on infrastructure is under scrutiny.
Redefining this place-led growth as central to the government’s missions is crucial to bringing forward vital national and regional programmes, underpinned by new models of public-private partnerships that deliver for stakeholder as much as shareholder.
Place-led economic growth
The desire to rebalance regional economic differences and fast-track devolution puts place-led growth front and centre of the government’s agenda. Delivering on that requires a shift in how we build a business case around the socio-economic needs of a city or region.
Regional visions that articulate desired economic and wider social benefits can be translated into interconnected, long-term programmes of activity. Packaging those programmes together creates a prospectus that investors can buy into, gives supply chains the confidence to invest in skills and capabilities, and provides a vision that local communities can get behind.
That holistic approach also builds a more solid business case as the potential for value grows: it connects the programme of inner-city regeneration with the public transport routes connecting out-of-town redevelopment, measures the sustainability of better public transport alongside the expected economic opportunity from higher footfalls and property prices, and translates a long-term vision into goals for skills investment, the creation of green spaces, and the desired community impacts well beyond construction into every phase of a project lifecycle.
Intelligently coordinating place-led growth also means building better networks. Broad partnerships will consider the full spectrum of needs and create commercial strategies for delivery. And the earlier those partnerships are established, the greater the benefits, from productivity and efficiency to stability for investment.
Turning ambition into action
From a national strategy for growth to a place-led plan for the future, turning coherent and investable visions into reality means turning ambition swiftly into action.
There are fundamental factors that will support this, not least through a reformed planning system that prioritises critical infrastructure and embraces digitalisation for faster delivery, higher productivity, and more certainty for the investors and across the supply chain.
Our industry, too, has a role to play: productivity and efficiency gains can be realised across the supply chain through greater collaboration, faster adoption of technologies, and a focus on common goals to overcome traditional contractual boundaries and embrace innovation. From my own experience on the board of an international organisation which funds, plans and delivers major projects around the world, I know that sharing learnings from successful programmes is also important, from innovation and sustainable solutions to frameworks that create common goals and reduce risk.
The next few months are critical if Britain is to get building and unlock the ability to create socio-economic growth across the country. Outcomes are only fully realised once operational: we need to put in place the policies that will streamline the journey through planning and delivery and send strong signals of intent that Britain is open for investment by maintaining momentum in the pipeline and demonstrating commitment to long-term stability.
The better we articulate the business case for the built environment, the sooner we can fund and fast-track delivery of the infrastructure programmes that will unlock opportunity and growth across the country. The prioritisation of this at every level of government and industry is vital to realise the full potential for people, and place.
AtkinsRéalis will be discussing how to fund, plan and deliver economic growth through infrastructure and meet new housing targets at events taking place across the Labour Party Conference, including Centre for Cities, IfG, and the Labour Housing Group.
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