Infrastructure can deliver growth and more with community support

Rachel Reeves’ pitch to the assembled Davos crowd last week was simple – Britain is back in the business of growth.

You’d think this might not need stating but after years of successive governments appearing more minded to satisfy the protectionist needs of the party faithful than deliver the pounds and pence needed by the Exchequer, it’s a sensible attempt to reboot the UK’s reputation abroad.

It is also clearly part of Reeves work to reset after a Budget which has led to widespread criticism from the very businesses the Chancellor is depending on to deliver.

Business confidence has taken a nosedive in recent months, but the country faces structural problems that run far deeper, undermining productivity and investor appetite alike.

At the heart of this is Britain’s faltering infrastructure network.  We’re a nation that has debated whether to build an additional runway to serve Europe’s biggest city for longer than it’s taken China to build hundreds of new airports.  We’ve flip-flopped on HS2, onshore wind, carbon capture and so much more to the extent that one of the wettest countries in the Western hemisphere has regular water shortages because no-one thought we might need a few more reservoirs.

So, Reeves is absolutely right to make infrastructure a key part of the Government’s long-term approach to fix the foundations of the economy.  But while it is both brave and commendable to propose to do so by beating the blockers, there is huge value to be had if the Government and infrastructure providers combine to bring communities along for the ride – something that has always proven difficult for utilities whose true value is often only truly realised once they’ve failed.

So how can major infrastructure providers build and maintain community support?

1. Radically redefine the term ‘community’ for your scheme. Planning reforms should remove the tyranny of hyper-local nimbys but providers have a unique capacity to convene a wide range of audiences and a responsibility to bring these groups together so they can be heard and understood.
2. Be much more attentive to the nuanced needs of these groups. In the age of AI-generated synthetic audiences, it’s much easier to segment communities, so test and learn which elements of the infrastructure story are most compelling to each audience and stress test how it’s being received along the stages of project development and delivery.
3. Thirdly, get creative. Infrastructure projects are so often sold through endless, tedious exhibitions and websites that explain what will be delivered and, in a very literal sense, what that will achieve. Virgin Airways doesn’t sell plane journeys, it sells a club – infrastructure providers need to use the same creative flair, selling a vision that has emotional resonance as well as making rational sense.

After years of procrastination, dithering and delay, infrastructure providers could be forgiven for just wanting to get spades in the ground. But by taking a long-term approach to community building, providers can generate much needed growth and act as catalysts for transformation in regional communities along the way.

By Dom Pendry, Group Managing Director at Citypress