Chris McDonald has been appointed as the new Construction Minister, succeeding Sarah Jones, during a time when the government is aiming to accelerate infrastructure delivery and support the energy transition.
However, with many projects experiencing significant delays due to a range of factors, Nigel Billingsley, Partner and Head of the National Utilities & Infrastructure Team North at Bruton Knowles, shares his perspective on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
Nigel specialises in the delivery of property advice to a range of clients across key sectors, including Road, Railway, Light Rail and Utilities. His focus is CPO/TWAO and DCO projects and acts as expert witness at public inquiries. In addition to his role developing projects, he leads complex compensation cases including Upper Tribunal work.
With over 35-year experience dealing with complex property development and claims management and since joining Bruton Knowles in 2004, Nigel has utilised his public and private sector experience to provide practical advice in the delivery of major projects across the UK’s transportation sector.
Nigel comments: “Chris McDonald could bring a fresh perspective as the new Construction Minister, with his background in the steel industry preparing him to tackle the intricacies of infrastructure developments such as the Lower Thames Crossing and the Gatwick Expansion.
“As I see it, for the sector to truly thrive, regulation must be a key focus. It needs to be clearer, more consistent and supportive to enable developments to progress without unnecessary delays. Infrastructure projects often stall due to overlapping rules and uncertainty over approvals. Providing clear guidance of requirements, sharing best practices so that developers don’t waste time on unnecessary documents and consultations, and balancing environmental safeguards with practical feasibility could help remove a major bottleneck.
“I believe that government departments, local authorities and regulators should be working closer together. By encouraging this sort of collaboration to develop a balanced, fast-tracked infrastructure delivery approach, it could be possible to share best practices and accelerate the approvals process. For example, engaging environmental regulators early in the planning stages to identify issues proactively or sharing templates and guidance documents for more common project types can help developers understand precisely what is required.
“Even with strong project pipelines, the sector continues to face the challenge of inflation, with rising materials costs and energy prices meaning that in many cases by the time planning is complete, costs have risen so much that the project is stalled. Broader economic support could be the answer. Targeted investment and incentives for sustainable construction would not only help projects succeed but also stimulate local economic growth.
“The opportunities to accelerate the UK’s infrastructure ambitions are clear; the challenge lies in turning these measures into tangible progress on the ground.”