Levelling up the whole of the UK

In the foreword to the NIS, the Prime Minster states that “levelling up is my government’s core purpose”. The intention is to level up communities and nations across the UK through investment in rural areas, towns and cities on a range of projects covering those of major national importance and those which address local priorities.

Chapter 2 of the NIS identifies five key strands to creating an “infrastructure anatomy” that will both level up and unite the UK. We set out the highlights of each below:

Leaving no community or business behind

A new GBP4 billion cross-departmental Levelling Up Fund is to be created to be spent on infrastructure projects across England, with prioritisation of bids which will drive growth and regeneration in areas of the highest need and which have previously seen the lowest levels of investment. This will be supported by multiple initiatives to deliver local road upgrades, incentivise and improve bus and cycle travel, and strengthen flood defences across the UK.

Reliable digital infrastructure is seen as fundamental in order to deliver economic, social and well-being benefits and GBP5 billion is planned to support UK-wide gigabit-capable broadband roll-out, together with an industry-matched government investment of GBP500 million to deliver 4G mobile coverage across 95% of the UK by 2025, and the 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme.

Boosting the UK’s cities and towns

The government has stated it will invest in the North, Midlands and South West to help rebalance the UK economy. Some GBP4.2 billion of government investment will be shared between the eight largest city regions outside London to enable long-term, locally-led investment in transport networks, supplementing the existing Transforming Cities Fund. The government plans for the Towns Fund to fuel long-term economic regeneration and employment opportunities in over 100 struggling towns across England, in addition to GBP100 million earmarked to boost housing delivery and regeneration. A minimum of 10 Freeports across the UK are proposed as national hubs for global trade and investment and will benefit from reduced tariffs, tax reliefs and regeneration funding to stimulate employment and prosperity in their communities.

Connecting nations and regions

The Union Connectivity Review, chaired by Sir Peter Hendy, will consult with devolved administrations ahead of reporting in 2021 on how connections within the UK can be improved. England’s strategic roads will receive their largest ever investment from a government to date, totalling GBP27.5 billion over this Parliament, delivering various upgrades across the country which we are promised will serve road users whilst also respecting existing environments.

The rail network will also see significant investment on top of ongoing work on HS2 – including fulfilment of the government’s commitment to reinstating transport links lost through the Beeching cuts, and an Integrated Rail Plan for the Midlands and the North of England (to be released soon). This Plan will ensure that Phase 2b of HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and other planned rail investments are scoped and delivered in an integrated way.

Maintaining connectivity as a global trading nation

The new Global Travel Taskforce is working to bolster the international travel sector, including both business and tourist travel, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic and the UK’s ports and freight system will continue to receive support in relation to the consequences of Brexit.

Doing things differently

Further plans for devolution within England will be set out in the English Devolution and Local Recovery White Paper as the government looks to build on the success of elected mayors. The Places for Growth programme will see 22,000 civil service roles relocated out of Whitehall by 2030, in addition to plans for the new National Infrastructure Bank to be housed in the north of England. Finally, there are plans to update The Green Book to ensure that it helps to deliver levelling up, and that proposed projects demonstrate alignment with local strategies.

If you have any questions about the potential implications of the NIS for your business, please contact Ian Graves, Legal Director or Claire Stoneman, Senior Associate, members of our UK Planning and Land Use team and UK Infrastructure, Construction & Transport sector group.