The Beyond Brunel podcast series brings together industry leaders and experts to talk about the role of infrastructure in a net zero future for the South West.
What infrastructure will the South West need in future? How can the region work together to achieve it? And how do we break down barriers and enable change across infrastructure sectors?
These questions and more are tackled in the latest episode of the Beyond Brunel podcast, released on Thursday 4 May 2023.
Beyond Brunel is a new podcast series exploring the role of infrastructure in the South West’s ongoing transition to net zero carbon by 2050. The series also examines how infrastructure can help protect nature and the environment, as well as improve people’s lives and help the region become more productive and resilient.
Commissioned and devised by the South West Infrastructure Partnership (SWIP) with funding from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) South West, Beyond Brunel brings together infrastructure leaders and industry experts for wide-ranging discussions on the transformation of the region’s infrastructure systems.
In Episode 4 on infrastructure needs and implementation, the special guests are:
- David Carter, Deputy Director of Economic and Community Infrastructure and Commissioning at Somerset Council
- Miranda Housden, ICE South West Director and Secretary of the South West Infrastructure Partnership
- Colin Taylor, Emeritus Professor of Earthquake Engineering at the University of Bristol
- Tom Whitmore, Managing Director, Geomarine, Guernsey
They discuss the importance of understanding the context in which infrastructure projects are delivered and the need to enable change and break down barriers to progress. They also share their views of what infrastructure will look like in 2050 and the possibilities of using the South West as a “living laboratory” to study how infrastructure works and how people use it.
The series is presented by civil engineer Christopher Ackland, vice chair of the ICE South West Regional Committee.
Some of the examples mentioned in the podcast episode are featured in a free download to accompany the series.
The podcast also forms the basis of a new report by SWIP and ICE South West, which seeks to determine what the region needs to do to achieve an effective, future-facing infrastructure system. The South West Vision 2050 identifies four areas for action, three key asks of political leaders and five big questions for defining future needs.
Beyond Brunel is available for streaming or download on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, with a new episode released each month.