Ben Wilson
Commission welcomes next steps on Oxford-Cambridge Arc
The National Infrastructure Commission has welcomed government’s announcement of next steps in developing a spatial framework for the Oxford-Cambridge Arc. The Commission explored the potential of the Arc and made recommendations for how to maximise the economic opportunities for local communities and businesses in a major study published in 2017. This week, government set out...
Plans of action needed next to deliver strategic goals, says Commission
Detailed plans for decarbonising energy supply, accelerating the roll out of electric vehicle charge points and connecting hard to reach areas with high capacity broadband are among the next steps needed to ensure government can deliver its aims for levelling up and meeting the net zero target, according to the National Infrastructure Commission. The Commission’s...
Senior Technical Adviser – Water, Floods or Waste
Do you want to be part of ensuring that the UK is equipped to meet its long-term infrastructure needs? Do you enjoy solving complex problems? Do you have experience leading on projects and managing people at all levels? The National Infrastructure Commission is looking for a Senior Technical Adviser specialising in water, wastewater, floods or...
“A vital step and important signal”: Armitt responds to government plans for ‘green industrial revolution’
Responding to today’s announcement by the Prime Minister on government plans for a ‘green industrial revolution’, Sir John Armitt, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, said: “A 2030 deadline for the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans is a vital step to help the UK meet our net zero target. It’s an...
James Heath: Getting the evidence in place for key decisions on low carbon heat
James Heath, Chief Executive of the National Infrastructure Commission, addressed Utility Week’s ‘Build Back Better’ Forum today (21 October 2020). His speech explored the policy decisions and investment needed to harness the full potential of low carbon heat, setting out the range of evidence that will be required to ensure effective decisions to address the...
Armitt speech on principles for urban infrastructure
Sir John Armitt, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, delivered a speech today (7 October 2020) at the launch of the Commission’s report, Principles for effective urban infrastructure. The launch event was co-hosted with Centre for Cities. The text of Sir John’s speech can be found below. Before I begin let me thank our...
Armitt: A clear infrastructure policy is more vital than ever
In a comment piece published in the Sunday Telegraph on 4 October 2020, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, Sir John Armitt, reflects on the importance of a National Infrastructure Strategy for setting out the role of infrastructure in economic recovery, meeting the net zero target and ‘levelling up’. An edited version of the article...
James Heath speech to Infrastructure Forum Annual Policy Summit
James Heath, Chief Executive of the National Infrastructure Commission, addressed the Infrastructure Forum Annual Policy Summit yesterday (29 September 2020). His speech explored the importance of a long term strategy for infrastructure planning, the tests which the Commission will apply to the government’s forthcoming National Infrastructure Strategy, and the key policies the Commission recommends is...
Letter to the Chancellor on four tests for a successful National Infrastructure Strategy
National Infrastructure Commission Chair Sir John Armitt has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to set out four tests which the forthcoming National Infrastructure Strategy will need to meet, in order to deliver the ambitious, long-term vision for the UK’s infrastructure set out in the National Infrastructure Assessment. These are: A long term perspective – the...
Letter to BEIS Select Committee Chair Rachel Reeves MP on energy efficiency
Following an evidence session to the BEIS Select Committee inquiry on energy efficiency in April 2019, National Infrastructure Commission chief executive Phil Graham wrote to committee chair Rachel Reeves MP to clarify the Commission’s position on energy efficiency and correct two errors in chapter two of the National Infrastructure Assessment which were identified during the session. The...
Sir John Armitt speech to Global Engineering Congress
We meet just a matter of weeks after the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change gave one of its starkest-ever warnings of what could happen if we don’t act now to protect our planet for the future. Its report warned that, far from keeping global temperature increases below 1.5 degrees, we’re heading for a possible rise...
Sir John Armitt speech to Utility Week Congress
This is an exciting time to live and work here in Birmingham. The regeneration of New Street station has transformed the look and feel of the city centre, and once complete HS2 will stop at two different stations here. Alongside Coventry and Wolverhampton, Birmingham is part of the country’s first multi-city testbed for 5G technology....
Sir John Armitt speech to the London Infrastructure Summit
The history of our capital’s infrastructure is filled with stories of world-firsts, projects whose working lives have far surpassed original predictions, and feats of design and engineering that we all too often take for granted. Take the London Underground network – the first metro system of its kind, up to five million passenger journeys are...
Heathrow: letter from Sir Howard Davies and Sir John Armitt to MPs
In July 2015 the Airports Commission published its final report, recommending the construction of a third runway at Heathrow as the best option for expanding the UK’s airport capacity. Earlier this week, the Government laid its final Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) before Parliament, which supports the expansion of Heathrow. Ahead of the expected vote...
Roads For The Future: speech by Sir John Armitt to the UK Transport Infrastructure Summit
Good morning. Thank you to Transport Times for hosting today’s event, and for kindly inviting me to open the proceedings. Thank you also for giving my fellow Commissioner, Julia Prescot, and staff from the Commission the opportunity to talk more this afternoon about our vision for the UK’s future transport infrastructure. The National Infrastructure Commission...