Enabling Better Infrastructure: how can we adapt the framework for the South West?

On 11^th June, regional infrastructure leaders met to discuss what ICE’s ‘Enabling Better Infrastructure’ framework could mean in the South West.

Better infrastructure can provide the connectivity, clean energy, green spaces and a volume and diversity of jobs that enables people across the South West to flourish.

ICE’s methodology for the strategic delivery of infrastructure that meet people’s needs focuses on front-loading strategic planning and decision making upstream, to enable better and more efficient delivery downstream. Its core components include:

• The eight EBI principles: combining vision, decision making principles, alignment to wider sustainability goals, relationships and data-sharing, these provide a ‘northern star’ to guide thinking in infrastructure planning.
• A core three-step process: informing objectives development, service needs assessments, and a national infrastructure strategy.

While the EBI programme maps out national policy-level thinking, many of these principles could and should be adapted regionally to ensure that, through more detailed planning and delivery, we optimise efficiency, deliver value, and ensure that they truly meet the needs of the people they are designed to serve.

While successful projects that flow from ICE’s priorities are around strategic planning and prioritisation at central government level, we must concern ourselves with adapting these principles for project planning, concept design, procurement and detailed design, coordinating efforts at a regional level to draw on the right talent, at the right time, in the right place.

Panel discussion: Translating EBI locally

Our first panel, chaired by Sally Walters (ICE South West Regional Committee Chair and regional technical lead at Stantec), discussed how citizens’ outcomes are supported by better infrastructure and the extent of joined-up thinking across the region.

Dave Slater, South West Regional Director of Natural England, highlighted the need to innovate to find solutions that work in harmony with nature. With funding often tied to specific project scopes, this innovation is not always possible; this one-size-fits-all approach often means that infrastructure is not always able to realise the benefits of nature-based solutions.  The South West region has the potential to be an exemplar of how building nature early into infrastructure development and improvement can offer real tangible benefits both to the projects themselves, to the regional economy and to the wonderful natural environment that we all enjoy.

Sophie Broadfield, Director of Sustainable Communities, Bath & North East Somerset and Chair of the ADEPT committee, advocated for design and decision making that is led by public needs and priorities. With piecemeal funding tied to tight deadlines, this has not always been possible. However, the recent £880 million assigned on a framework led, strategic basis through the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), means the West of England region has two years to plan – providing scope to engage innovatively and ensure that the needs of a broad cross-section of the community are met through planning and design.

Jason Humm, Director of Transport and Highways at Gloucestershire County Council, said that engagement is key. He highlighted the need to influence upstream consideration of public needs, whilst equipping the public with the tools and understanding they need to engage with and help shape long-term infrastructure in their area. People want nature-based solutions and infrastructure that enables a transition to a cleaner, greener society; but there is a public gap in understanding around what projects mean for them.

In terms of joined-up thinking across the region, the panel unanimously recognised great willingness to coordinate both planning and delivery, but that there is more to do before we have true collaboration throughout the region. Sophie highlighted that strategic mayoral authorities are key to achieving this – they have the authority to draw the region’s plans together to co-create, and deliver on, a shared vision for regional infrastructure. Jason added that we need to better advocate for our region; agreeing that formalising strategic bodies to do this will be a vital step to achieving this.

SWIP also has a role to play here, Sophie said. A neutral, pan-sectoral organisation can see connections and help to draw together a vision that reflects the priorities of a diverse range of localities. We don’t currently have a description of the sum of the parts; SWIP can help to facilitate its development.

Politically, regional champions like WECA mayor Helen Godwin can help raise the profile of the South West through engaging with the DfT and MHCLG – but she, and others like her, need help from the infrastructure community in terms of articulating what the South West has to offer.

Panel discussion: Harnessing the supply chain for coordinated delivery

Chaired by Christopher Ackland, coastal engineer at Moffatt & Nichol, ICE South West Committee Member and presenter of SWIP’s Beyond Brunel podcast, this debate discussed procurement challenges and opportunities. Chistopher framed the discussion with the fact that, over the next 10 years, we will need around 250,000 skilled and unskilled delivery professionals to realise the net zero transition.

Natalie King, Managing Director and Principal of AccXel, the UK’s first industry led construction school, noted a brilliant outlook for the construction industry; but terrible uptake amongst younger generations. There is a skills gap, she said, that needs to be filled before we can have confidence in our capacity to deliver the vast regional infrastructure plans of the future.

Paul Santer, Regional Director, Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA South West) disagreed slightly – highlighting increased interest in infrastructure that he’s seen at careers fairs for example.

David Clegg, Growth Director at WSP, also raised that the expertise that exists in regional supply chain needs to be remunerated fairly for their work. His plea was that the industry acknowledges that the supply chain needs to generate a sustainable profit in order to exist – and that ‘profit’ should not be a dirty word.

He also raised the importance of a “meaningful use of data” to ensure that the right teams are placed on the right project to ensure effective delivery. While these teams are often multi-disciplinary already, greater use of multi-organisational teams should be considered to allow value creation at rather than beyond organisational boundaries. He highlighted that it takes a wide range of skills and expertise to plan, design and build a new infrastructure – and some of those skills fall outside the traditional technical suite that exists in a engineering consultancy. For example, he said, communities need to be proactively engaged in projects, so they have co-ownership of the intended outcomes of a project – which requires specialist communications and engagement expertise.

Workshop – how can the South West adapt the Enabling Better Infrastructure principles regionally?

Following introductions from regional leaders, the EBI principles were then discussed by the infrastructure community. The following key themes emerged:

• Vision: The lack of, and need for, a regional vision was highlighted across almost all groups. However, some noted that this should be co-created in context of the development of wider community, taking priorities from all counties into account.
• Project costs: It was noted that the prioritisation of affordability could potentially conflict with considering the full range of options, so at a regional level, care is needed to ensure the right balance. However, some commented that leveraging nature-based solutions (which require some innovation and potential changes to approach in the short-term) can represent cost savings in the longer term. A long-term lens was preferred by many.
• Relationships: Several groups commented that to deliver long-term change and drive South West investment, it is vital to align with both political and public priorities. These two groups must be taken on the journey – with public understanding and political advocacy both essential components to ensure both investment in, and smooth delivery of, regional projects.

Read more

For more topics discussed at our inaugural EBI event, check out:

• Regional leaders meet to discuss the South West’s infrastructure vision
• Realising the clean energy potential of the Bristol Channel