ALARM25: the local roads crisis

The government published its long-awaited Planning and Infrastructure Bill last week – so who better to bring back to chat about it on The Infrastructure Podcast than UK infrastructure planning guru Robbie Owen , partner and head of infrastructure planning and government affairs at law firm Pinsent Masons . The Bill was heralded by government as providing “transformative reforms to get Britain building, tackle blockers and unleash billions in economic growth”. But will it really bring about that scale of change? Well to be honest, Robbie’s not totally convinced it goes far enough! Have a listen here . Lot’s to chew over - changes to infrastructure planning, environmental impact assessments, compulsory purchase powers; how can the planning system ensure that infrastructure projects not only proceed faster but also deliver better outcomes for communities and the environment? … and, as discussed with Robbie on the podcast before Christmas, new limits on the role of Judicial Reviews. But can these changes truly unlock growth, or are deeper structural issues being overlooked? Having interrupted Robbie’s visit to the MIPIM property event in the South of France sunshine last week, we cover a lot of ground. It’s a vitally important stuff and Robbie certainly, as always, brings it to life. Enjoy the episode.

I chose a quiet corner of the Royal Festival Hall to talk about embodied carbon with Adrian Campbell , founder of the Change Building consultancy and my go-to expert when it comes to reducing carbon across the infrastructure lifecycle. At least it was quiet when we started to record this week’s episode of The Infrastructure Podcast ! Apparently, weekday concerts are popular with schoolkids! Who’d have thought! No worries, any corner of this fabulous, brutalist concrete masterpiece on the South Bank is a great place to chat to Adrian about the need to understand, to think hard and to take action to reduce the embodied carbon in our modern infrastructure. It’s big and important stuff. Have a listen here and on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all your favourite podcast hosts. As Adrian points out, the reality is that building fabric performance, building management systems and energy sources have all become much less carbon intensive over time as we have understood and assessed the carbon challenge. But less so for embodied carbon, meaning that is now the dominant source of emissions over the infrastructure life-cycle and to the obvious focus for designers’ attention. That starts with getting the next generation of engineers both fired up and informed. Hence Adrian’s new guide to assessing embodied carbon which he has just rolled out to his students at the University of Southampton . And a very useful and helpful little guide it has proved to be. Which got me thinking. Why shouldn’t every student have a look at it – every infrastructure professional for that matter? Well, to be honest, Adrian hasn’t actually published it formally yet. (But why not have a chat with him if you can help?) But he does explain it well in the podcast. So have a listen.

Two years ago, my guest on The Infrastructure Podcast this week quit her successful career as a partner at global consultant McKinsey & Company to launch a fledgling business aimed at tackling the UK’s woefully underperforming housing retrofit market. A bold move! Yet two years later @Anna Moore, co-founder and chief executive of Domna (formerly Hestia) has just secured a new £70M tranche of funding which should accelerate the business' ability to access this potential £500bn retrofit market and truly transform homes and lives by making tens of thousands of homes across the UK warmer, more energy efficient and healthier places to live. Have a listen at here and on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all your favourite podcast hosts. Anna works with me as a Trustee of the Built Environment Trust and Building Centre , and as our recent New Homes in New Ways event demonstrated, giving families decent warm safe places to live is one the biggest challenges facing the UK right now. It's a tough market. Because, as Anna knows I am sure, while the government’s commitment to building 1.5 million new homes continues to grab the headlines as the key to driving up living standards and revitalising communities, the need to retrofit our huge existing stock has been left somewhat overlooked as a means to press decent housing back into the market. But Anna and Domna are on a roll and now retrofit over 15,000 homes a year on behalf of local authorities, housing associations and private landlords. And it’s an approach which is changing lives. Have a listen.

The UK government has set out bold and ambition plans to tackle the nation’s housing crisis. And as my guest on the The Infrastructure Podcast this week Anette Simpson , director of development and partnerships at Legal & General Affordable Homes points out, it needs them. Now! Have a listen here and on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all your favourite podcast hosts. Because despite current targets to deliver 1.5 million new homes over the next five years, the reality is that we are still only seeing 50,000 to 60,000 affordable homes being built each year - far short of the estimated 145,000 required. That leaves a shortfall of over 1.3 million households on waiting lists, while rising costs, planning delays, and economic uncertainty continue to challenge the sector’s ability to tackle the crisis. Anette has passion and a plan to start to change all that. Her business is levering in private capital to support public cash and has a target to have more than 10,000 homes under management this year. Essentially, she aims to prove that, alongside the tradition public sector social housing providers, for-profit providers can – and must - play a crucial role in tackling the crisis. Have a listen. Creating homes for families is certainly up there as one the biggest infrastructure challenges facing the UK right now.

Seriously, I don’t know where the time has gone! But it’s the second anniversary of the The Infrastructure Podcast this week and my guest on episode 102 takes me back thirty years to the University of Southampton where I studied for my Degree in Civil Engineering. In this landmark episode I talk to the ever-fascinating Prof. Jeni Giambona, Associate Dean of Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise and a Member of the Centre for Resilient Socio-Technical Systems at the University of Southampton Business School. Jeni has worked at the sharp end of higher education and research for the last two decades and specialises in helping to link academia with industry and so drive investment in innovation as a key part of boosting the sector’s productivity and outcomes. Episode 102 is now live here and on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all your favourite podcast hosts. Have a listen as we discuss: ⭐ Why embracing a systems approach is crucial; ⭐ The need to double down on collaboration and supply chain engagement; ⭐ Why investing in new data and digital technologies can help us to truly understand how infrastructure works. 🐶 And, of course, we hear why owning and training two 70kg Newfoundland dogs is a recommended, life changing experience. Enjoy the episode - and if you like the podcast please do subscribe leave a review to encourage others to join in!

Seven months ago, my guest on this week’s episode of The Infrastructure Podcast was working for construction giant Mace as a work winning director. Today Mike Reader is MP for Northampton South and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Infrastructure. That’s quite a change! Episode 101 is now live here and on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all your favourite podcast hosts. As Mike explains, the government’s current focus on infrastructure delivery as the route to economic growth and improved living standards across the UK, makes Parliament and exciting place for a former civil engineer to be right now. And after last week’s conversation with Construction Minister Sarah Jones, this week’s episode provides an opportunity to hear the back bench viewpoint on the challenge of delivering the government’s bold infrastructure ambition. Quite often that means understanding how to realistically balance local community and constituency needs with the national priorities – not always easy but certainly doable, according to Mike. Have a listen as we discuss a range of issues including: ⭐ Dealing with the realities of life as MP ⭐ The role of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Infrastructure ⭐ The supply chain’s role in supporting government’s growth ambition ⭐ Can the Planning and Infrastructure Bill transform our approach to delivery? ⭐ Is building 1.5M new homes in 5 years possible? ⭐ How can infrastructure professionals better understand politics? ⭐ What exactly is a Jack Tzu? Enjoy the episode - and if you like the podcast please do subscribe leave a review to encourage others to join in!

Well can you believe it! We have reached Episode 100 of The Infrastructure Podcast! And it’s a special one as we head to the heart of the UK government to hear first-hand from Construction Minister Sarah Jones MP about how she hopes to accelerate infrastructure investment to deliver the government’s overarching mission for economic growth. Episode 100 is now live on my website here and on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all your favourite podcast hosts. The podcast was recorded live in front of an invited audience of professionals at last week’s Twin Talks breakfast meeting hosted by Bentley Systems on the 43rd floor of their London office – just before the Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out her plans to cut through the planning and environmental blockers and accelerate a rake of nationally significant infrastructure projects such as the much discussed Heathrow third runway, East West Rail and the Oxford Cambridge Arc, Lower Thames Crossing, a raft of new reservoirs and a splurge of national wealth fund cash to underpin electric vehicle charging. And as Sarah Jones pointed out, we need a long term strategy that cuts through the planning delays, works with the private sector to boost delivery efficiency, and, of course, brings the public on board - “the answer can't always be no; but it's got to be the right thing in the right place for a purpose people understand." Have a listen – and if you like the podcast please do subscribe leave a review to encourage others to join in!

With the Chancellor Rachel Reeves this week backing infrastructure as the driver for UK growth this week it is fitting that my guest on the Infrastructure Podcast this week is Katrina Dowding , president and chief executive of the UK arm of Skanska , one the world’s biggest and most innovative contracting businesses. Have a listen here and on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all your favourite podcast hosts. Infrastructure is without question back in fashion and politicians across the UK and around the world are falling over themselves to ease the delivery of the vital assets needed to drive growth. Not an easy task… As Katy makes clear, the modern contracting business has to be in shape to meet this future opportunity. And it is getting there. That means having the right skills and the innovative mindset and the ability to help clients think about wider outcomes rather than simply chase lower costs. To do this it is vital for modern contractors to generate sufficient profits to invest in the future- to invest in training, in technology, in the supply chain and in the communities that they serve. And having worked in the business for 36 year, Katy underlines the passion and single minded commitment needed to succeed in a difficult business. Enjoy the episode.

It’s a big week in the USA as Donald Trump is sworn in for his second presidential term while firefighters and communities continue to battle wildfires in California – a great moment for The Infrastructure Podcast to go Stateside to chat to Steve Burrows CBE, Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) representative for the US West Coast. Have a listen here and on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all your favourite podcast hosts. As a world leading stadium designer with Arup, then AECOM, then WSP, Steve has spent most of the last 40 years working in and around California and the San Francisco Bay area so is acutely aware of the political, social and environmental challenges facing the US right now. His perspective from on the ground in California provide great insight into how the next four years under President Trump might pan out and, crucially, how infrastructure professionals can meet the challenges that lie ahead. And in particular, his first-hand view and experience of wildfires and the tragedy unfolding in Los Angeles is illuminating – an area that of course in no stranger to fire risk but that is without question now dealing with an unprecedented combination of climatic impacts – heat, drought and high winds. It’s a challenging moment for a politically divided US, now led by a climate change sceptical administration with a buoyant but debt-laden economy.  Have a listen - I think you’ll gain some interesting take-aways – and I have no doubt we will be returning to the US on the podcast pretty soon to hear more.