Harness technology to speed up infrastructure delivery, report urges

Artificial intelligence and other new technologies must be harnessed to urgently speed up infrastructure planning and delivery, according to a white paper from public interest group, the Linear Infrastructure Planning Panel (LIPP).

The report articulated a clear need to expedite the planning, scoping, consenting and delivery of essential infrastructure projects, to support net zero, resilience and nature recovery goals. Project timelines need to be more aggressive and project numbers are set to soar, but at present major schemes often face lengthy delays and high costs linked to planning arrangements and high tension between developers and locals.

LIPP pointed to vast potential from new technologies to deliver projects “faster, greener, with greater community acceptance, and at lower cost”. This included through use of automated design techniques, data processing capabilities and increased public visibility. 

The paper put forward recommendations grouped into three camps:

• De-risking delivery – appropriate accountabilities, assurance mechanisms and transparency requirements will need to be put in place for new tools to be trusted and secure. 

• Building support, acceptability and accountability – government and regulators should encourage and incentivise the use of new tools. Government should also provide greater clarity on how infrastructure trade-offs should be handled, and set a framework to encourage developers to provide tools for communities/consultees to use, to give people more agency in the process and hopefully reduce tension. Project developers will also need to adjust procurement processes to adopt new solutions.

• Enabling a more coherent and adaptable approach – revisions to relevant National Policy Statements to enable more coherent and adaptable planning processes are required to address issues of fragmentation in the system and to help provide clearer guidance for those developing and using new planning tools and techniques. Moreover, further work is needed to ensure that: data is accurate and shareable; standardised social/environmental/economic metrics that better reflect stakeholder requirements are used; and metrics are developed on carbon, supply chain and visual impacts. 
  

The LIPP was established in March 2023 and brings together social and environmental NGO stakeholder groups with observers from government bodies. Panel chair Sharon Darcy said: "Adopting new technologies for infrastructure planning isn't just about improving efficiency; it's about reimagining how we engage with communities, maintain decision-making legitimacy, and overcome collective problems. The recommendations in the white paper serve as a road map for all stakeholders involved in national infrastructure projects.”

The white paper follows DLUHC’s announcement earlier this month that Lord Charles Banner KC will lead a Government review into speeding up the planning and delivery of national infrastructure projects.