Action Plan 2030

Bringing the South West Vision to life

Overview

The Action Plan 2030 sets out how the South West Infrastructure Partnership (SWIP) will turn the ambitions of the South West Vision 2050 into practical action this decade.

The document summarises the key themes emerging from engagement and evidence, explores how these align with national policies, and defines a focused action plan that clarifies SWIP’s role, priorities and partnerships for the remainder of this decade.

Why it matters

The South West has significant strengths, from natural resources and clean energy potential to strong academic and industry networks. But it also faces persistent challenges to progress, including fragmented governance, skills shortages and limited regional coordination.

The Action Plan 2030 provides a clear response, identifying where action is needed to unlock investment, strengthen collaboration and deliver infrastructure that creates long-term value for communities, the environment and the economy.

Key findings

The report highlights a set of critical barriers and opportunities for infrastructure in the South West:

• A clear governance gap: Fragmented leadership and a lack of regional coordination are limiting effective, large-scale delivery.
• Skills, data and capability constraints: Gaps in expertise, data and institutional capacity are preventing the region from scaling sustainable solutions.
• The need for stronger public engagement: Public understanding of infrastructure and net zero remains limited, affecting trust, support and long-term investment.
• A major opportunity from national policy alignment: New UK infrastructure and industrial strategies create a strong foundation for place-based planning, long-term funding and clean energy investment.
• Untapped potential in nature-based solutions: Working with nature to meet infrastructure challenges can improve resilience, support biodiversity and unlock economic value.

SWIP priorities to 2030

In response, SWIP has identified four priority action areas to accelerate progress:

1. Developing regional knowledge, skills and capability: Building cross-sector expertise through shared learning and practical playbooks.
2. Strengthening regional coordination: Driving stronger integration through system-wide planning, better evidence, and effective advocacy.
3. Supporting meaningful public engagement: Improving how infrastructure is communicated and understood across generations.
4. Scaling collaboration on nature-based solutions: Unlocking investment and delivery at scale by integrating nature and built infrastructure.

Learn from practical examples

Explore regional case studies to understand how infrastructure projects are innovating to deliver greater impact and change.

Your opportunity to act

Take an active role in shaping the future of infrastructure in the South West.

Join a working group and share your expertise and experience. Use the form below to register your interest.