Andy Walker, Editor: Andy Walker 07791 997602 Editor, Infrastructure Intelligence [email protected]
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ii30-may-june2018.qxp_print 03/05/2018 16:24 Page 1 ACE CHANGE INTERVIEW ISSUE 30 | May/June 2018 Ogunshakin to Exciting times move to pastures at Turner & new at FIDIC Townsend page 4 page 22-23 PROJECT FEATURE ‘Super-sewer’ connecting Londoners with the Thames page 16-18 Produced for the industry by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering Delivering the new London GRAHAM TOM Bridge station pages 8-10 PLUS: l Regional hotspots l Skills Summit 2018 l Roundtable report l Celebrating our 30th issue l Sporting legacy ii30-may-june2018.qxp_print 03/05/2018 16:24 Page 2 MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR Welcome to the 30th issue of Infrastructure Intelligence. We’ve now been going for four years and we’re delighted to be celebrating that fact on page 19 by reflecting on a significant milestone for our publication and website. Elsewhere, the magazine is packed full of the usual informative mix of news, features and intelligence about infrastructure that you’ve come to expect. Major projects feature strongly this issue. We have features on the impressive new London Bridge station (p8-10), the Thames Tideway project that will reconnect Londoners with the River Thames (p16-18) and we report on the potential for a new bridge from Scotland to Northern Ireland (p20-21). Speaking of potential, we preview the Skills Summit 2018 futureproofing the industry event that takes place in London in June (p6-7) and we also take a look at the fascinating proposals for HS4Air, which if realised promise to create “an M25 for high-speed trains” (p24-25). Our latest Think Tank piece sees Mott MacDonald’s Richard Shennan wax lyrical about digital transformation in the construction and infrastructure sector (p11), a theme echoed by AECOM’s Richard Robinson in an opinion column on page 31. We also take a look at the contribution that regional UK Produced for the industry by the Association markets are making to construction output (p5) and what Birmingham needs for Consultancy and Engineering to do to ensure its Commonwealth Games legacy (p30). Infrastructure Intelligence News, views, comment, information, great pictures, infrastructure and 12 Caxton St, London SW1H 0QL intelligence – still going strong after 30 issues! T: 020 7222 6557 Enjoy the read. www.infrastructure-intelligence.com Andy Walker, Editor: Andy Walker 07791 997602 editor, Infrastructure Intelligence [email protected] Reporter: Ryan Tute 07843 055210 [email protected] Contents Commercial Director: Brian Nolk 020 7227 1882 News round-up 3 Car charging infrastructure; London housing; New NIC [email protected] panel Design and production: Industry bodies 4 ACE chief executive to leave to lead world engineering Andy Smith & Denise Bell federation 07968 588729 [email protected] Market survey 5 Regional hotspots boost construction growth Skills 6 Skills Summit 2018 – we preview a new event for the Produced by Victoria Street Capital on behalf of the Association for Consultancy industry and Engineering, 12 Caxton Street, London Rail 8 Delivering the new London Bridge station SW1H 0QL. Think Tank 11 Richard Shennan talks digital transformation The views expressed in Infrastructure Intelligence are not necessarily those of the Opinion 12 Value and cost; The NSIP crystal ball; Apprenticeships Association for Consultancy and Engineering. Roundtable 14 Seeing change as an enabler, not a disrupter Printer: CPG, 9-10 Orchard Business Centre, Interview 14 We interview Barry White, Transport for the North’s new Sanderson Way, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1QG. chief executive T 01732 366666, [email protected] Major project focus 16 The ‘super-sewer’ connecting Londoners with the 2018 subscription rates: £80 a year. Thames GET MORE FROM Magazine anniversary 19 Celebrating 30 issues of Infrastructure Intelligence INFRASTRUCTURE-INTELLIGENCE.COM Bridges 20 We report on plans for a bridge connecting Scotland and Infrastructure Intelligence is published Northern Ireland six times a year, but you can find more content online. Our website infrastructure- Interview 22 Two new MDs and exciting times ahead at Turner & intelligence.com is updated daily, with Townsend two free e-newsletters a week. Sign up at the website: Rail 24 We look at HS4Air – an M25 for highspeed trains www.infrastructure-intelligence.com ACE news 26 Rail group on track; Progress Network; Reverse Follow us on twitter @infra_intel mentoring; CIO Conference Join the Infrastructure Intelligence group on LinkedIn EIC news 29 The need for a project pipeline for the environmental sector Sport and leisure 30 Creating a lasting legacy from sporting infrastructure Technology 31 How innovation and tech can help unlock the future 2 Infrastructure Intelligence | May/June 2018 ii30-may-june2018.qxp_print 03/05/2018 16:24 Page 3 News round-up Government’s £400m car charging infrastructure plans delayed he government’s plan for a fund to the rest match-funded by the private help finance electric car charging sector. However, the government has yet Tinfrastructure is running behind to appoint anyone to raise the £200m of schedule. private investment and is way behind on Despite an announcement in last its plans to secure the funding. year’s autumn statement that a £400m In a written parliamentary answer to government fund would be set up to shadow transport secretary Andy finance the building of electric car McDonald, who asked how much of the charging points, the delivery of much- £400 had been raised, Jenrick said: “The needed infrastructure is set to be delayed, government is engaging with the private following a statement to MPs by junior sector to ensure that it (the fund) is set up Treasury minister Robert Jenrick. in the most effective way. We expect to This could be bad news for car launch the procurement for the private manufacturers and to efforts to tackle air sector fund manager in summer 2018, Housing crisis pollution in UK cities. To support the shift who will be tasked with raising the to zero-emission vehicles, the £200m of private investment. Further government’s £400m fund would be details will be announced in due course.” forcing London made up of 50% from the taxpayer, with McDonald criticised the government’s inaction, saying: “The government’s workers to electric vehicles policy has run out of power before leaving the driveway. quit jobs Ministers failed to admit they hadn’t secured a penny of investment and didn’t he shortage of affordable homes to intend to raise anything in the near buy and rent in the capital has been future. They have announced £200m that Tdescribed as a “ticking time bomb” isn’t theirs and hasn’t been promised to and is damaging firms’ ability to recruit them.” and retain staff, according to the latest With some polls showing that more CBI/CBRE London Business Survey. than a third of people would consider According to the research, two thirds buying a fully electric car, the need for of the firms in London are struggling to fast-tracking national charging recruit and keep staff as a result of high infrastructure is more important than prices and low-availability of homes. The ever. London Business Survey found that 66% of the 176 respondents said that housing costs were having a big say on how their recruitment, a record high percentage for NIC picks young professionals the survey. Significantly, 28% of firms said that to sit on infrastructure panel some of their employees had left because they could not afford to live in the local ixteen young architects, engineers, area. The housing shortage is also an issue designers and energy specialists in the for more senior employees, with three Sfirst few years of their careers have fifths (59%) of the capital’s firms citing it been handed a unique opportunity to have a as an issue for recruiting mid-level real influence over how the UK’s managerial staff (compared with 45% in infrastructure is developed over the next 2015). three decades. Eddie Curzon, CBI London director, More than a dozen of the UK’s top young said: “This survey speaks loud and clear – professionals have been selected to sit on the Armitt said he looked forward to London’s housing shortage is a ticking National Infrastructure Commission’s (NIC) working with these talented individuals time bomb. The potent combination of Young Professionals Panel after a judging who “could end up designing and lack of supply and high prices means team trawled through more than 500 managing world-leading infrastructure” businesses themselves are being priced applications. long into the future. “The commission out of the market, as they can’t afford to The panel was launched in April by NIC exists to identify what infrastructure the recruit and retain their workers, from chair Sir John Armitt with the aim to provide country needs up to 2050, so it’s right we entry-level to senior staff. And with two a platform for the infrastructure sector’s give the next generation of infrastructure thirds of firms not optimistic the housing future leaders and give them a chance to leaders a say in our work,” he said market will become more affordable in inform and have a say on the commission’s l To find out more visit the next three years, we have a stark work. www.nic.org.uk/ypp/ challenge on our hands.” May/June 2018 | Infrastructure Intelligence 3 ii30-may-june2018.qxp_print 03/05/2018 16:24 Page 4 Industry bodies Ogunshakin to leave ACE to lead world engineering federation ACE chief executive Nelson Ogunshakin is to leave retiring. FIDIC has 102 member associations representing the consulting the organisation after 14 years at the helm to become engineering industry globally and chief executive of the international engineering promotes the business interests of firms supplying technology-based intellectual federation, FIDIC.