How will the East Midlands deliver on the UK’s £725bn infrastructure strategy?

Published earlier this year, the ICE’s latest State of the Nation report highlights the challenges of delivering the UK’s £725bn infrastructure strategy over the next 10 years.

The cross-cutting issues identified in the report have implications all around the country, and will affect regional supply chains differently.

In its aim to be the voice of infrastructure in the region, the East Midlands Infrastructure Partnership (EMIP) recently held a seminar to explore these challenges and how to address them.

The state of infrastructure in the East Midlands

Energy supply

Coal-fired power stations along the Trent Valley used to generate a quarter of the nation’s power.

Redeveloping these redundant sites is already beginning to have a significant impact on regional resources:

• In February, the government announced it was fast-tracking the construction of a £15bn small modular reactor (nuclear energy technology) and data centre on the site of the former Cottam power station.
• In March, the Nuclear Fusion STEP reactor at West Burton moved forward with the appointment of ILIOS (a consortium led by a joint venture between Kier and Nuvia) as the construction partner for the first £200m phase of a £10-20bn project that will create some 3,000 construction jobs.
• Also in March, the H₂East Pipeline was added to the national infrastructure pipeline. This project will connect hydrogen production sites at Killingholme and the former High Marnham power station to major industrial gas users.

National Grid is also speeding up the energy transition through a £60bn, five-year investment plan to decarbonise, upgrade, and expand the electricity network. Known as The Great Grid Upgrade, it has impacts across the region.

Water supply and quality

A predicted shortfall of almost 5bn litres of water per day by 2055 places a focus on water supply in a region that is among the driest in the country.

The proposed £2.6bn Lincolnshire Reservoir southeast of Sleaford grabs the headlines as a project of national significance.

But Anglian Water and Severn Trent are also engaged in delivering major programmes to move water around the region, reduce stormwater overflows and install smart meters.

Anglian Water was an early adopter of Project 13, a collaborative, alliancing-based delivery model.

Anglian Water’s @oneAlliance is made up of eight companies collaboratively contributing design, project management, commercial and construction expertise to deliver a record £2.6bn AMP8 (asset management period 8) package of investment.

Flood risk management

The East Midlands has the highest flood risk for properties in the UK.

With low-lying land on the coast and river systems draining through heavily built-up areas, 30% of the region is at risk of flooding.

Rising sea levels and extreme weather could cause the number of properties at risk to increase by a third.

In March, the government announced a three-year investment of £4.2bn to reduce this risk and increase resilience to flooding and coastal erosion.

Over £150m will be spent this financial year on 70 schemes across the region, including £36m to reduce coastal flood risk at Boston and £37m to reduce fluvial (river-based) flood risk at Derby.

Transport

The region has not one, but multiple city centres.

Its large rural areas and no major conurbations (urban areas that merge) limits the practicality of large-scale public transport solutions.

As such, the region is heavily car dependent, with up to 80% of journeys to work made by road.

The East Midlands Combined County Authority has secured over £2bn through the Transport for City Regions programme.

This funding aims to improve public transport, enhance active travel and deliver road improvements, focusing on creating a more integrated and sustainable network across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

The Road Investment Strategy 3 (RIS3) announcement in March focused on tackling ageing infrastructure on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) to improve safety and reliability. It also seeks to support economic growth.

For the East Midlands, two major enhancements are planned during RIS3: the A46 Newark Bypass dualling and the A38 Derby Junctions project.

Improvements to roundabouts on the A52 at Nottingham are set to continue.

In addition to the SRN programme, major local authority schemes announced include the dualling of the A43 at Northampton and the North Hykeham Relief Road in Lincolnshire. This work will complete the Lincoln ring road.

Delivering national infrastructure projects alongside regional priorities

The conclusions of the State of the Nation report are directly relevant to the East Midlands.

While new infrastructure is needed to deliver economic, social and environmental benefits, ageing systems need to be managed and maintained if they’re to continue delivering the services society depends on.

The industry now has valuable data to help plan all of this work.

The national infrastructure pipeline estimates the workforce required to deliver the projects in the strategy. This is a useful planning tool for businesses.

In future, it will also include data from Mayoral Combined Authorities and energy distribution programmes.

By bringing together infrastructure professionals from sectors that may not otherwise collaborate, EMIP is able to provide a useful regional reality check on national data.

Offering a fresh perspective on changing needs

Through its work with industry partners, EMIP has developed a cross-sector, systems-based appreciation of infrastructure delivery pressures.

By working with local authorities, it now better understands community needs and spatial planning.

All of this insight is valuable as EMIP continually assesses emerging infrastructure needs.

Find out more in EMIP's Build to Grow report