Posts Tagged ‘UK’

Boris Is Wrong

Monday, July 28th, 2014

Heathrow: Davies Commission

As much as we like Boris Johnson, just one look at any road/rail map of the UK shows that he is clearly wrong about Heathrow. The massing of infrastructure and economic activity to the west of London in terms of rail links, both to Central London and the rest of the UK, as well as road links with the M4 and M3 corridors, positions Heathrow perfectly as the location for a UK hub airport. That is why it is there.  In 2018, Crossrail will link west with east – so surely it’s time for a Great British compromise? (more…)

HS2 is just not costing enough. That is the big problem

Thursday, May 8th, 2014

…And another thing: it is not taking enough Tory Voters’ housing.

The project as scoped is in fact incomplete. The end result is that arguments for the project itself are incomplete. Effectively, the project process itself has become the debate, as our short termist political system is not fit to manage long-term land use. (more…)

Asset Management “Best Use” of Government not Development Management

Friday, February 28th, 2014

Successful businesses like Amazon exploit opportunity, which means they deliver outputs that are valued. The role of government is to provide the framework for that success.   To enable that with land use and property, government needs to provide a framework that is fit for purpose. This stewardship needs to reflect the long term impact, funding requirement and interrelationship of the many aspects of the built environment. Topically, particularly true if it is also to capture the appropriate tax rate. (more…)

Foreword to Locational Investment Report

Monday, May 28th, 2012

Location, location, location; as relevant to governments and

their investment plans as it is to the most informed private

investment bodies

What should be built, when, where and why to ensure the responsible use of limited UK public resources? How can investment in the infrastructure necessary to enable sustainable settlement growth be targeted locationally?

Global economic realities must shape Government investment decisions by location. Assumptions based on the inertia of historic land use need to be understood for what they are. Radically different engines of growth, business linkages and economic outcomes will require location specific infrastructure investment if sustainable growth is to be secured in each region. (more…)