Plans of action needed to deliver Net Zero strategic goals

The National Infrastructure Commission has said that detailed plans are now needed to ensure government can deliver its aims for levelling up and meeting the net zero target.

The Commission’s Annual Monitoring Report proposes a ten point plan for accelerating action to turn government’s ambitions into reality, including launching the new Infrastructure Bank as soon as possible and giving greater long term funding and control to large cities outside London for public transport upgrades.

The organisation says that detailed plans for decarbonising energy supply, accelerating the roll out of electric vehicle charge points to meet the 2030 end to new diesel and petrol car and vans sales and connecting hard to reach areas with high capacity broadband are among the next steps needed. It argues that the current coronavirus pandemic only increases the importance of ensuring infrastructure is in place to support a sustainable economic recovery across the whole of the UK.

The report welcomes government’s decision to give metro mayors five-year transport budgets, which will provide more stability to investments. The commission suggests that extending this to other cities alongside significant additional investments in strategic schemes would help address long standing barriers to regional growth and differences in productivity.

Sir John Armitt, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, writes in his foreword: “We anticipate that publication of the National Infrastructure Strategy will catalyse decision making and investment across all sectors, helping to address the challenges of levelling up the UK’s economic geography and achieving net zero. Infrastructure can also help create the conditions for a market led recovery from the major economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“But achieving this will require detailed planning, and delivery roadmaps backed up by stable funding plans and, where relevant, clarity of regulatory oversight. These are critical factors for the successful delivery of the policy aspirations and targets government has now provided.”