Member Article

Lancaster House series hones in on infrastructure opportunities

Today’s focus at Lancaster House is UK infrastructure, as UKTI will bring together global business leaders to identify opportunities across construction, water, airports and rail.

The UKTI Infrastructure Summit will focus on large scale urban regeneration projects, looking at sustainability in design, operation and equipment provision, and opportunities in high-growth markets.

Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, Sir John Armitt is due to speak on the subject of urban regeneration of the Olympic Park.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, will talk about progress on UK Guarantees for infrastructure projects, and will announce the Green Deal as an early candidate for the programme.

Mr Alexander: “Our early action to get a grip of the public finances is allowing us to support up to £40 billion worth of UK infrastructure investment by putting our hard-won fiscal credibility behind major projects.

“To ensure public-private partnership projects can proceed without delay, we are also launching a temporary lending programme that could benefit up to £6 billion worth of projects. Already we have had over 30 expressions of interest in the UK Guarantees scheme and we continue to receive more on a daily basis.

“I am pleased to announce that the Green Deal will be an early candidate for the use of these guarantees. The Green Deal is the largest ever programme for investing in the energy efficiency of our housing stock and we are looking at whether and how a guarantee could help ensure that the finances are in place to get the programme off to a very strong start.

“The deals my colleagues are announcing show that the UK is already in a strong position and the work we are doing on infrastructure will strengthen this further still.”

Water technology organisation, Bluewater Bio International, are due to announce a ‘technology alliance’ with Thames Water, and the Secretary of State for the Environment will deliver a speech on water infrastructure.

Caroline Spelman, said: “Access to clean water is a critical issue for every nation on this planet. Within the next 20 years 3 billion people will be living in water-stressed countries and if we fail to address the issue of water supply, the consequences for those living in poverty are grave.

“British companies have unparalleled technological and commercial skills to help the world address these issues. London’s Olympic Park is a clear example of British ingenuity, where rainwater harvesting capabilities, the wastewater treatment plant and water efficient fixtures and fittings reduce the Park’s dependence on potable water by 65%. British firms can offer our expertise, ingenuity and insight to help all nations address this most pressing of problems facing the world’s population.”

Terry Hill CBE, Chairman of Arup Group Trusts said: “Arup is delighted to support the British Business Embassy summit on Infrastructure. This is a tremendous opportunity to showcase UK talent and expertise to leading industry figures from across the world, as well as highlighting the importance high quality infrastructure plays in promoting growth and competitiveness.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .