In today’s episode we are focusing on the government’s latest - and long awaited - 10 year infrastructure strategy.

Because after decades of underinvestment, fragmented planning, and inconsistent delivery, the government has finally published what is perhaps the most comprehensive and ambitious infrastructure strategy in a generation.

Backed by at least £725 billion of public funding over the next decade, the new 10-Year Strategy for Infrastructure aims to chart a long-term path for economic renewal, regional growth, and national resilience.

So it’s quite a moment!

And to discuss this milestone document I am joined by James Corrigan, managing director for infrastructure at consultant Turner and Townsend,

At T and T, James ‘s day job is working with clients to turn this kind of aspiration into reality, making him well placed to guide us through this new strategy and explore the challenges and opportunities it presents.

There’s a lot in it! How to reshape the way the UK plans and delivers infrastructure; how we address critical issues like climate change, digital connectivity, housing, and economic growth, and what it all means for investors, local authorities, and communities.

Let’s get into it

Resources

• 10-year infrastructure strategy
• Turner & Townsend website
• National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA)
• HS2 Stewart Review
• Planning and Infrastructure Bill

In today' podcast we are focusing on the UK’s new nuclear power ambitions and specifically, exploring the Sizewell C project.

As I said a few weeks ago on the podcast, it’s perhaps one of the most significant moments for the UK’s nuclear industry in over a generation.

Last month, the government announced a multi-billion investment to drive forward this ambition with £14.2 billion committed to accelerate construction of the Sizewell C project. Alongside this comes backing for Small Modular Reactors and investment in fusion research - all part of a landmark commitment to clean energy, jobs, and long-term energy security.

So the message is clear: this is the start of what the government calls a "golden age of nuclear." Discuss.

Well Sizewell C certainly sits at the heart of this new ambition - a twin-reactor power station on the Suffolk coast - a carbon copy of the Hinkley Point C reactor now under construction in Somerset – sitting alongside the Sizewell B station which was, of course, intended as the start of the last nuclear golden age 30 years ago.

When operational in the mid 2030s, Sizewell C will power six million homes with low-carbon energy for the next 60 plus years as the UK’s first fully British-owned nuclear project in decades – and apparently a keystone in delivering both net zero energy and national resilience.

But ambition is just the beginning of course. Turning that vision into reality will mean overcoming a long list of challenges — from regulatory hurdles and construction risk, to workforce capacity and public trust.

Joining me today to unpack all of this is Julia Pyke, Managing Director of the Sizewell C project. Lot’s to talk about when it comes to identifying what the government’s investment really means in practice and how Sizewell C fits into the wider nuclear revival.

And of course, what it will take to deliver this project on time, on budget. So let’s crack on…

Resources

• Sizewell C project website
• Government press release on Sizewell C
• Hinkley Point C website
• Great British Energy - Nuclear
• Nuclear Industry Association release on nuclear investment
• The Stewart Review: The HS2 Experience

Today’s podcast takes a deep dive into High Speed 2 via the recently published Stewart Review, a detailed piece of work which attempts to help government to learn lessons and take stock from this much discussed project.

And I’m pleased to say that to help me with this task today I am joined by the report’s author, James Stewart, long-standing infrastructure finance and delivery expert who I know will guide us first hand through his report.

A bit of background. As we know, the HS2 project was conceived as a once-in-a-generation investment in the UK’s rail infrastructure — a high-speed line that would transform north-south connectivity, unlock capacity across the network, and drive long-term economic growth.

But more than a decade on, the vision has been dramatically curtailed, costs have escalated, and delivery timelines continue to slip.

Following James’ report, government has now confirmed that completion will stretch beyond 2033, and that costs will be significantly higher than anticipated. All of which means hard questions must be asked — not just about what went wrong, but how we do things differently next time.

James’ Stewart Review offers a forensic assessment of HS2’s delivery challenges, with a particular focus on governance, assurance, capability, and the wider system in which such projects are planned and delivered.

The comprehensive report highlights what really went wrong, what needs to change, and, crucially, how the UK can rebuild trust in its ability to deliver major projects.

Lots to discuss so let’s get stuck in...

Resources

• The Stewart Review: The HS2 Experience
• Mark Wild's CEO first 100 days review of HS2
• HS2 website
• Agile Infrastructure Partners
• The 10 year Infrastructure Strategy
• The Industrial Strategy