7.1 This National Infrastructure Plan represents a commitment to delivering the reliable, resilient and integrated infrastructure needed for UK economic growth. This Government is also committed to maintaining and (where necessary) improving - in partnership with regulators and industry - the performance of the UK's infrastructure over time, and through this National Infrastructure Plan 2011, a mechanism is being put in place to allow us to track progress against this commitment. The Government is publishing in Annex D the methods, sources and data used in the analysis of infrastructure performance and cost.
7.2 Table 7.A below sets out a summary of the actions that have been announced in this Plan, together with the lead Department and the timeframe by when they should be completed:
Table 7.A: Summary of National Infrastructure Plan 2011 Actions
Action |
| Lead |
| Due Date |
Have developed proposals with local partners for improvements to the A14 road and the other local transport networks. |
| Department for Transport |
| Spring 2012 |
Build more flexibility into the new major infrastructure planning process, particularly in the pre-application phase as part of a light touch review of the process responding to feedback from users of the regime. |
| Department for Transport |
| Summer 2012 |
Consider further investment in the Northern Hub. |
| Department for Transport |
| July 2012 |
Agree how the impact of wind energy projects in the Wash on birdlife should be assessed. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Summer 2012 |
Update on further progress delivering the priority programmes and projects. |
| HM Treasury |
| 2012 |
Invest £530 million of funding to extend superfast broadband coverage. |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport |
| Up to 2015 |
3500 MHz-3580 MHz 3410 MHz-3480 MHz, to be released. |
| Ministry of Defence |
| 2015/2016 |
Free up 160MHz from 2.3 GHz-2.4 GHz and 3.4 GHz-3.6 GHz bands. |
| Ministry of Defence |
| End of 2016 |
Support Ofcom in ensuring that the 4G spectrum auction commences in time in order for the 4G spectrum to be used as it becomes available in 2013. |
| Ofcom |
| Auction to commence by the end of 2012. |
Invest up to £150 million to improve the coverage and quality of mobile services for consumers who a currently affected by reception 'notspots', with the aim of extending coverage to 99 per cent of the UK population. |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport |
| Procurement of new mobile infrastructure to begin by spring 2012 and businesses and consumers will start to benefit from early 2013 onwards |
Support Ofwat and the water industry in implementing a £22 billion programme of investment. |
| Ofwat |
| 2010-2015 |
Address a range of minimum producer responsibility targets covering packaging, Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment, End of Life Vehicles and batteries. |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| Range extends from 2012 - 2016 |
Develop a comprehensive Waste Prevention Programme. |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| End of 2013 |
Complete stage two of testing the use of operational freedoms to improve the resilience of Heathrow. |
| Department for Transport |
| September 2012 |
Introduce a new economic regulatory regime for airports |
| Department for Transport |
| End of 2013 |
Implement a new specification for up to eight managed motorway schemes in the Department for Transport / Highways Agency investment programme. |
| Department for Transport |
| 2015 |
Work with the Office of Rail Regulation to ensure that the industry delivers the efficiencies already specified for the Control Period 4 regulatory period (2009 to 2014) and set clear requirements for the next regulatory period, Control Period 5 (2014 to 2019), in next summer's High Level Output Specification |
| Department for Transport |
| Summer 2012 |
Secretary of State for Transport will announce the Government's decisions on the proposed strategy for a national high speed rail network and, if appropriate, the preferred route from London to the West Midlands. |
| Department for Transport |
| End of 2011 |
Support Ofgem in revising the regulatory regime for electricity interconnection. |
| Ofgem |
| Ofgem decision by end of 2011 |
Produce updated estimates of the and potential contribution of shale gas and other unconventional resources to indigenous gas supplies the resource. |
| Department for Energy Climate Change |
| March 2012 |
Put in place the legislative framework for future energy generation. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| 2014 |
Set out further details on the Contract for Difference Feed-in Tariff. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Early 2012 |
Introduce a Carbon Price Floor. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| 2013 |
Publish a process for enabling final investment decisions for new generation projects to progress to timetable wherever possible. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Around the turn of the year |
Complete the roll out of Smart Metres |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| 2019 |
Increase the climate change levy discount on electricity for Climate Change Agreement participants available from to 90 per cent |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| April 2013 |
Put in place the legislative and policy framework for nuclear decommissioning and waste, including the publication of statutory guidance and finalising the pricing mechanism for the disposal of higher activity waste. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| December 2011 |
Institute an independent Office of Nuclear Regulation in statute. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| 2013 |
Bring forward proposals for reform of the community benefit regime to provide greater certainty for all parties. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| 2012 |
Introducing new banding for the Renewables Obligation. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| 2013 |
Launch the Renewable Heat incentive for industrial and commercial deployment. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| December 2011 |
Drive down the cost of offshore wind to £100 per megawatt hour, in partnership with industry. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| 2020 |
Invest up to £50million in innovation in offshore wind and marine energy and in reducing technology costs |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Over the next 4 years |
Invest up to £60million to develop offshore wind manufacturing facilities at UK ports. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Over the next 4 years |
Led by the Joint Regulators Group, regulators in relevant sectors will ensure regulatory frameworks do not discourage shared works, shared facilities or revenue sharing and will support mechanisms for this where consistent with regulators' statutory duties. |
| Joint Regulators Group |
| A report on progress will be made by the end of 2012. |
Run a two-year design competition for climate resilient infrastructure which will inform the National Adaptation Programme. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| 2012 |
The Green Investment Bank ready to make co-investments with the private sector in projects. |
| Department for Business, Innovation and Skills |
| April 2012 |
Provide, the first £775 million of the £3 billion pledged for the Green Investment Bank over the next three years. |
| Department for Business, Innovation and Skills |
| Beginning of next fiscal year |
Simplify a number of heritage, highways and environmental non-planning consents, with some scrapped altogether. |
| Department for Communities and Local Government |
| Begin early 2012 |
Make it easier to apply for consents. This will include providing information and links on key non-planning development consents. |
| Department for Communities and Local Government |
| April 2012 |
Ensure that there is a more effective mechanism for applicants obtaining an award of costs, if there is an appeal against a refusal of planning permission, where a statutory consultee failed to provide sufficient evidence. |
| Department for Communities and Local Government |
| Summer 2012 |
Bring forward proposals to improve the performance of the key statutory consultees in responding to planning applications, including the key statutory bodies bringing forward an improvement plan. |
| Department for Communities and Local Government |
| Spring 2012 |
London Underground aim to reduce the number of pages in their in-house standards from 12,400 to 400 |
| Transport for London |
| March 2012 |
Implement improvements identified in the review of secondary legislation and guidance for the new major infrastructure regime. |
| Department for Communities and Local Government |
| Early Summer 2012 |
Conduct a formal review of the new major infrastructure regime. |
| Department for Communities and Local Government |
| From April 2014 |
Bring forward measures for implementation to speed up the planning appeals procedure. |
| Department for Communities and Local Government |
| Summer 2012 |
Implement LEAN sourcing principles. |
| HM Government |
| January 2012 |
Progress report on extending the reduction of in-house standards that apply to infrastructure projects. |
| HM Treasury |
| 2012 |
Reach agreement with Chiltern Railway on how old tunnels can be brought back into use. |
| Department for Transport |
| January 2012 |
Interim reactor design acceptances will be issued by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| End 2011 |
New long-term contracts will be available for low-carbon electricity generation. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| 2014 |
Broadband Delivery framework in place for local authorities to run mini-competitions for Local Broadband Projects. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Spring 2012 |
7.3 For ease of reference, a calendar of all major policy developments in the economic infrastructure sectors is set out below:
Table 7.B: 2011-12 Infrastructure Policy Calendar
Policy Document |
| Lead Department |
| Due date |
Final proposals to increase the liquidity of wholesale electricity markets. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| December 2011 |
Respond to Dr Mike Weightman's final report on lessons learned at Fukushima. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| December 2011 |
Water White Paper. |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| December 2011 |
Launch a call for evidence to consider new models for using the private sector in the delivery of public assets. |
| HM Treasury |
| December 2011 |
Draft National Networks National Policy Statement. |
| Department for Transport |
| End of 2011 |
Response to consultation on High Speed Rail. |
| Department for Transport |
| End of 2011 |
Ofcom will launch a further consultation on the 4G mobile auction and rollout. |
| Ofcom |
| Late 2011 / Early 2012 |
Produce final proposals for a Electricity Market Reform capacity mechanism. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Around the turn of the year |
Publish an Electricity Market Reform technical update. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Around the turn of the year |
Set out the institutional framework to deliver the electricity market reforms. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Around the turn of the year |
Waste Water National Policy Statement. |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| January 2012 |
Publish the first UK Climate Change Risk Assessment. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| January 2012 |
Consultation on extending the Government's regional fifth freedoms policy to Gatwick, Stansted and Luton. |
| Department for Transport |
| Early 2012 |
Publish a Bioenergy Strategy. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Early 2012 |
Set out how the Government will work with Local Authorities and other stakeholders to address barriers to district heating. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Early 2012 |
Green Paper setting out options for a regulatory framework to support the communications sector. |
| Department for Culture, Media and Sport |
| Early 2012 |
Respond to the Alan Cook Review. |
| Department for Transport |
| Early 2012 |
Publish a Rail Command Paper setting out the means to deliver the efficiencies identified in Sir Roy McNulty's rail value for money report. |
| Department for Transport |
| Early 2012 |
Consultation on Sustainable Framework for UK Aviation. |
| Department for Transport |
| March 2012 |
Consultation on the case for higher recovery targets for some key materials. |
|
|
| In time to allow for a final decision at Budget 2012 |
Consultation on updated guidance to help businesses understand what they must do to comply with the Habitats Directive. |
| Department for Transport |
| Before Budget 2012 |
The Government has asked Ofgem to produce a study considering the need for further incentives beyond those considered in the Gas Security Significant Code Review. |
| Ofgem |
| Spring 2012 |
Publish final proposals for providing financial support for renewable technologies through the Renewables Obligation scheme. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Spring 2012 |
Ofgem to publish their development of retail electricity market reforms. |
| Ofgem |
| Spring 2012 |
High Level Output Specification. |
| Department for Transport |
| July 2012 |
Publish the Government's first electricity systems policy document. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| Summer 2012 |
Ofcom to publish the data for the 'best in Europe' scorecard. |
| Ofcom |
| Summer 2012 |
Hazardous Waste National Policy Statement. |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| Summer 2012 |
Publish a toolkit aimed at improving Government's approach to infrastructure procurement and management of supply chains. |
| HM Government |
| Summer 2012 |
Launch the Green Deal framework. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| October 2012 |
Ofgem to publish a further report to the September 2011 'Connect and Manage' report. |
| Ofgem |
| Autumn 2012 |
Publish a strategy for decarbonising heat. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| 2012 |
Consult on restricting wood waste to landfill and review the case for restricting other wastes to landfill, including textiles and biodegradable waste. |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| 2012 |
Consult with industry and publish recommendations on reviewing Government requirements for construction bonds. |
| HM Treasury |
| 2012 |
Update the Treasury Green Book Guidance to provide clarity around the need for optimism bias in budgeting for projects and programmes. |
| HM Treasury |
| 2012 |
National Networks National Policy |
| Department for Transport |
| End 2012 |
Final Sustainable Aviation Policy. |
| Department for Transport |
| March 2013 |
Next edition of the Office of Low Emission Vehicles Plug-in Vehicle Infrastructure strategy. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change & Department for Transport |
| Early 2013 |
National Waste Management Plan. |
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs |
| Spring 2013 |
Publish a Strategic Policy Statement for the energy regulator, Ofgem. |
| Department for Energy and Climate Change |
| 2013 |
7.4 The National Infrastructure Plan will be updated around the time of the next Spending Review. The Government will update the assessments of network cost and performance, progress on the priority programmes and projects, the overall pipeline database of investments, and progress made against all the actions set out in this plan. This will be published as an annual "State of the UK's infrastructure" report.