Building sustainable futures together – turning ambition for growth into delivery on the ground

The importance attached to infrastructure investment and economic growth has been elevated to the central priority of the new Government. And our industry has loudly voiced the need to maintain momentum of projects in development and streamline processes holding back further progress. But, beyond that, following this general election result how can we get things moving and shift from conversation to construction?

Regional growth is one of the UK’s most pressing priorities, but we know this will only flow from the jobs and opportunities that allow people to live and flourish within their communities, underpinned by good transport connections, access to skills and innovation, better public spaces and a greater emphasis on the wellbeing of people and the environment around them. 

Planning with purpose

 So where to start? We need a more holistic approach to economic growth, and we have seen in the very early days of this new Government that growth is central to its plans. 

This will need to encompass areas that local authorities have long known need greater funding and development: housing, transport, infrastructure, skills and local industry and innovation. These interconnected components have to be considered as one holistic programme to deliver growth and secure a sustainable future for a region.  

The long overdue reform of the planning system was also reaffirmed as a priority on day one by the chancellor Rachel Reeves. We need to see resource, streamlining and digitisation leading those reforms so we can plan with true purpose, weaving together plans for better social, economic and environmental outcomes - which is vital to create an investable proposition.  

A good working example of this is the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) led by Andy Burnham, who joined me on a panel at UKREiiF to talk about how the level of growth achieved in the region was outpacing the rest of the UK, due in part to this approach.

Devolution and strong leadership

Devolution in England has delivered some great success stories from the West of England, to the West Midlands and up through to Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, thanks to strong leadership from people genuinely invested in the idea of place-based growth.

At AtkinsRéalis we talk about thinking globally and delivering locally, because we sign up to the idea that the best people to make the best decisions about infrastructure and development are the people living, working and thriving in those communities. 

Devolution is at the heart of plans rooted in place-based thinking. Take for example new transport links, like the proposed Liverpool – Manchester line. Building a railway is much more than laying track and buildings stations – it’s about opening up opportunity and creating a city-or regional-level masterplan that plots the most effective way to drive regeneration in a way that attracts investment and develops infrastructure needed to unlock those opportunities.  

Collaboration at inception

Collaboration at inception is vital and we’ve seen that clearer pathways and opportunities come from bringing together a multitude of stakeholders focused on a region’s potential - from local authorities, planners and transport bodies to higher education providers, local industry and private sector parties alike.

In its productivity report from 2023 the Construction Leadership Council published findings drawn from 20,000 projects which showed those with the best quality early-stage planning and front-end loading had 20% lower costs and were delivered 10%-15% faster than average. That early engagement can help create the right environment for making decisions in the best interests of the project.

Public private finance

Arguably the most important collaboration is between public and private finance which is increasingly necessary. Funding a plan for place-led growth will mean building a business case that translates the economic benefits alongside the social outcomes and ensures every aspect of societal benefit is captured within it. 

It’s a different approach but, as we’ve already seen from those regions globally such as Canada, which have successfully secured public funding (and we’re talking about billions of dollars in some cases), it will be vital in helping to attract the private investment in the built environment. 

The creation of these holistic plans should also enable delivery at pace – fuelled, in part, by the greater decision-making powers that devolution could provide. 

Being close to the sources of funding and building trust in your ability to deliver is absolutely key, and in many ways it’s a simple proposition for investors as they are essentially just looking for an income stream. 

Obviously that investment in kickstarting place-based growth and bringing together public and private finance is vital as we all know there is little left in the national coffers. But we’ve proved it can be done, that private finance, the public sector and delivery can come together to make really major projects happen. 

However it will only come if all those elements from planning to stakeholder collaboration, regional leadership and public engagement are in place, and ready to move forward to build sustainable futures together.