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CONTENTS 04.03.10

NewCivilEngineer

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www.nce.co.uk

New Civil Engineer

lst Floor,GreaterLondonHouse HampsteadRoad,LondonNWl 7EJ EDITORIALENQUIRIES Tel:(020) 77284544 (fax4666) Email: [email protected]

EDITOR1Antony Oliver (020) 7728 4541antony.oliver DEPUTYEDITOR1JackieWhitelaw (020)7728 4542 jackie.whitelaw CONTENTEDITOR1MarkHansford (020) 77284543 mark.hansford

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www.nce.co.uk

05

NEWS

Manslaughtercase delayed

CotswoldGeotechnicaltrial postponed until autumn due to ill-healthof defendant.

14

AWARDS

Celebrating Ibis year's best practice and innovation in bridge restoration projects.

18

RAIL SPECIAL West Island Une

NCElooks at the challenges facing contractors on Hong Kong's West Island Line.

Aisein thisissue

06 News

Infrastructure shattered by Chile quake

07 News

End in sight for ICE room rate row

08 News

Morefor Less

Letters

Business,fIooding,energy, structures,ICE,safety

12

25 ICENews

ICEpresident questionrime

28 Spotlight

How universities are looking to meet the industry's needs

Comment

AntonyOliver

"We must take encouragement that infrastrudure projeds will have to remain at the heart of the economic recovery"

We need to get the job done the best way we can

There is nothing like discussion and proposaIs on the reform of planning regimes to reinforce the benefits ofbenign dictator- ships. When it cornes to efficient and effective decision making, they really cannot be beaten.

And right now, we need a new regime of efficientand cost effective decision-making to help drive us through the financial downtum.

This week's RRC survey oflocal authority funding expectations provided yet more confirmation of the likely public sector cuts that NCE has been waming of for months.

This reality is at the heart of our more for less agenda. As 1set out Iwo weeks ago, this is a mantra that you are going to be hearing a lot more about in the nine months before the Infrastructure Show. Look out for the logo.

Mter aIl, the prospect of a 20%faIl in publicfunding and investment from 2011is a huge concem across the industry.

Yetin the week that Labour's Infrastruc- ture Planning Commission came into being

- a process accepted as a major step towards

removing the costly planning burden placed in the way of project delivery - we also saw the launch of the Conservatives' planning regime which vows to rip up this process.

1have my concems with this proposaI and 1 worry that the politicians behind it do not appreciate the IOlethe planning process plays in the cost efficient delivery of infrastructure.

The Tories' so-called "Open Source Planning" system will, it maintains, bring about "radical change" to replace a "broken system" by decentralising power and giving local people a greater say in the development of their communities.

My concems are rooted in the constant and increasing desire by politicians - across the spectrum - to engage the local commu- nit y on the false pretext of offering choice. As the Tory plan purs it: "to create a system where local govemments can produce their own distinctive local policies".

It is a nonsense and simply adds to the bureaucratie burden and cost of delivery,

none of which we can realisticaIly afford right now.

There are difficult and challenging rimes ahead for the industry. Yet in the face of this gloomy local outlook we must also take heart and encouragement that major infrastruc- ture projects will have to remain at the heart of the nation's economic recovery.

As we read this week, high speed rail is critical to the future development of regional economies of the UK as will new investment to update and improve our water supplies and treatment facilities across the nation.

And we know that a generation of nuclear power stations and a newwave of renewable power generation will be critical to replace our aging and high carbon fIeet of generators.

Yetwithout an effective and perhaps draconian planning system we run the risk of failing to deliver on these critieal alfas.

White choice and local engagement are nice in theory, the efficient delivery of critieal infrastructure needs a more decisive regime.