www.nce.co.uk1 01.12.11 NEWCIVILENGINEER3
CONTENTS 01.12.11
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EDITORIALENQUIRIES Email: prefixplus @emap,com EDITOR1Antony Oliver (020)77284541 antony.oliver DEPUTYEDITOR1MarkHansford (020)77284543 mark.hansford CHIEFSUBEDITOR1AndyBolton (020)77284537 andy,bolton NEWSEDiTOR1AlexandraWynne (020)77284540 alexandra.wynne ONLINEEDITOR1Jo Stimpson (020)77284544 jo,stimpson REPORTER1DeclanLynch (020)77284546 declan.lynch
ICE1Olivia Gagan
(020) 77284539 olivia,gagan SENIORREPORTER1MarissaLynch (020) 77284545 marissa,lynch ADVERTISING
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06
CQVEII StORY
nObn forinfrastrudure
Pension funds to inject much needed capital
14
FLOODING Altertheflood'
A huge clear up operation in Cumbria is almost complete
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23
GEOtECHNICAL Sikkim airport
Steep slopes are a challenge on Himalayan airport site
Alsointhis issue
05 News
Fatal Indonesian bridge collapse probed
08 News
UK consultants in Qatar mega roads wins
08 News
Highways Agency seeks hve year funding
NCEIi
How BuildingInformation modelling is evolving 18
29 Safety Special
Reducing risks in the working environment 34 .CE News
Scotland "unready" for independence
Comment
Antony Oliver'
"The government hasbeen listening to our very sensible assertion that infrastrud;ure is the surest way to deliver growth"
Infrastructure giRl are for life, DotjustChristmas
Two weeks ago ICE director general Tom Foulkes highlighted to NCE the vast amount of delicate work that has been going on behind the scelles to help government understand the value to the economy of investment in infrastructure.
This week we see creaI evidence that this work is now bearing fruit with the Chancel- lor's announcement of a f30bn plan to boost the nation's key infrastructure projects.
NCE weill to press this week ahead of George Osborne's Autumn Statement to Parliament. As such we have not Jet seen the full detail of the new National Infrastructure plan or how it will be delivered.
However, on the basis ofleaks and brief- ings by chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander it would appear very positive indeed. The promised fS bn of immediate Treasury commitment to infrastructure proj- ects really is, as this week's cover suggests, an early Christmas present for the industry.
It seems that the government has been listening to our very sensible assertion that investment in infrastructure is the surest way to deliver growth and jobs into the economy.
But more than that, the promise of fsbn direct froIDexisting Treasury resources right away demonstrates that it is also heeding the industry's raIls for stimulus "in the here and
now"
(NCE27 October).The mooted list of projects to beneht froID the stimulus shows a much needed boost in particular to the hard hit highways sector over the next couple ofyears. However it also reaches across sectors and so should provide a welcome lift throughout the supply chain.
We must keep an eye on the longer term.
Here there is much wùrk to do to ensure that the plan to lever in another bobn or more of private cash tan be turned into reality.
Alexander may have noticed that
Birmingham Airport's new runway is funded by Canadian and Australian pension funds,
but to most in the market this is not news.
The real question for those potential funds remains around how the Treasury will make such public infrastructure projects more attractive to investment and perhaps more pertinent, what the revenue model will be.
This week, the Highways Agency is already preparing to gel itself into shape for this new paradigm of privately funded infrastructure.
Similarly, as we saw last week, Network Rail is also restructuring to gel in shape for true private sector competition to both bring clown the cost of infrastructure but also lever in new private sector investment models.
The message is clear froID across the industry - with political support, the solu- tions to the nation's infrastructure and economic problems are at hand. This week government appears to be listening and putting infrastructure hrmly on the Cabinet table.
II Antony Oliver is NCE' s editor
