MediaResponding to the government’s infrastructure strategy. Sam Richards, CEO of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said:
“After years of drift, a long-term infrastructure strategy backed by serious investment could be the turning point Britain needs. Planning reform is essential to make it work. The government has begun to act by streamlining approvals, speeding up decisions on major projects, and tackling unjustified legal challenges. But it must go further with too many critical schemes still facing costly delays and uncertainty.
“The government’s commitment to a new era of public private partnerships, with the appropriate guardrails, is the right approach. In France private companies have built thousands of miles of motorways freeing up state funding for other priorities such as public transport and active travel.
“With £725 billion committed, we need a planning system that’s fast, predictable, and focused on delivery. Only then can we build the homes, transport links, and clean energy projects the country urgently needs and finally move from managed decline to a new era of national renewal."