Infra

Infrastructure

HS2 Cost

£67-83bn (140 miles)

Metro Cost/Mile

£676m vs £68m Madrid

Backlog

£10bn+ maintenance

Overview Full Research Analysis→ View in Graph

35%Current

Potential: 75%

✗Key Problems

1.HS2: £67-83bn for 140 miles - 8.5x EU costs, HALF cancelled
2.Elizabeth Line: £19bn - 4x budget, 5 years late
3.ZERO reservoirs in 30 years - water crisis coming
4.Planning adds 4+ YEARS to every project

✓Solutions

1.NATIONAL OVERRIDE: Strategic projects bypass local planning
2.COPY SPAIN: One-stop consent, £68m/mile metro vs £676m
3.PRIVATE FINANCE with tolls: User pays, taxpayer doesn't
4.BAN bespoke specs: International standards, cut costs 50%

Analysis

Root Causes

HS2: £67-83bn for 140 miles - 8.5x EU costs, HALF cancelled

Elizabeth Line: £19bn - 4x budget, 5 years late

ZERO reservoirs in 30 years - water crisis coming

Planning adds 4+ YEARS to every project

Reform Pathway

NATIONAL OVERRIDE: Strategic projects bypass local planning

COPY SPAIN: One-stop consent, £68m/mile metro vs £676m

PRIVATE FINANCE with tolls: User pays, taxpayer doesn't

BAN bespoke specs: International standards, cut costs 50%

Cascade Effects

Reforms in Infrastructure will have downstream effects on 5 connected domains:

Productivity→Energy→Housing→Industry→Environment→

Read Full Research Analysis (Root Causes, Stakeholders, Evidence, Timeline)→

Policy Costings

Rigorous fiscal analysis of Infrastructure reforms

View All Costings →

CONTESTED ESTIMATE

Significant methodological disputes. View caveats below.

Infra

Infrastructure Fast Track

Upfront

+£1.2bn

Annual

-£5.0bn

Revenue

+£12.0bn

Net Annual Effect

+£7.0bn/year

Payback in 5 years

GDP +2.5%Productivity +0.4%very high uncertainty

UNCERTAINTY RANGE (Annual Net Effect)

Most Pessimistic

+£5.0bn

⟷

Most Optimistic

+£40.0bn

MAJOR CAVEATS

•UK planning uniquely slow: 4-7 years for major projects vs 18 months in Japan, 2 years in Germany
•Previous reforms captured by incumbents: Planning Act 2008 added process without removing obstacles
•Judicial review reform contested but UK abuse rate far exceeds other democracies
•NIMBYism economically rational for homeowners - reform requires changing incentive structure not just rules
•Construction capacity genuine constraint: skills shortage, materials costs, would limit short-term gains
•Environmental assessment: 50 separate requirements vs single process in most countries - consolidation not abolition
•HS2 failure was management/scope creep, not planning speed - wrong lesson to draw