National Infrastructure Commission unveils needs assessment

Last Tuesday, the National Infrastructure Commission published its first assessment of the country’s infrastructure needs. The key chapter for the water sector – on water resources – had already been published in April to provide time for its recommendations to be absorbed into the PR19 and Water Resource Management Planning processes.

But other aspects of the report have significance for the sector too, including on digitisation, carbon reduction, housing, flooding, infrastructure design and selection, and funding and financing.

Meanwhile the Welsh government has appointed John Lloyd Jones as chair of its new NIC for Wales for a one year term. The body, announced late last year, is getting up and running this summer as a non-statutory, advisory body to provide advice and recommendations to the Welsh Ministers on the economic and environmental infrastructure needs of Wales over five to 30 years.