The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) South East England has this week established its first Aviation Expert Panel and appointed Rob James, who works for leading infrastructure provider Amey, as its Chairman for the next year.
Director of ICE South East England, John Laverty, said: “Aviation is a vitally important infrastructure issue in the South East and ICE South East England is determined that the voice of civil engineers will be heard on this important topic.
“That is why this week we established a Regional Aviation Expert Panel which brings together nine civil engineers based in South East England who specialise in aviation related projects. The aim of this panel is to provide independent advice and information about aviation capacity in the Region in an impartial way.
“By bringing their expertise together in this way ICE South East England will be able to participate in the various consultations regarding aviation taking place over the next two years and aims to work with local airports, such as London Gatwick, Manston in Kent, London Oxford and Southampton, to make sure that full account is taken of the contribution they can make to meeting the capacity demands that will be identified.
“This Panel will also be able to provide expert comment on proposals such as the Thames Estuary Hub Airport, the expansion of London Heathrow or the creation of a new airport along the M4 corridor.
“We are pleased that Rob James has agreed to chair this Panel as he has been involved in the ICE since 2006,, so he knows our systems well, particularly having served on the Kent and East Sussex Branch Committee for the past three years.
“In his professional life he is a Principal Civil Engineer at Amey in Crawley, where he leads their Airport Infrastructure Team.
“Rob has worked in civil engineering for 15 years delivering multi-million pound airport and highway infrastructure projects, including the 2009 Thomas Brassey Award winning A2 Pepperhill to Cobham Widening.
“ICE South East England is looking forward to working with him in this new role and is confident he will help promote and develop the work of civil engineers in the aviation sector.”
Rob James said: “I am honoured to have been appointed as Chairman of the first ICE South East England Aviation Expert Panel at a time when aviation is such a high profile topic.
“We know that investing in infrastructure not only creates jobs now but brings benefits for the economy in the long-term so getting policy right is essential to get the maximum benefit from investment – having this independent panel of experts providing impartial advice is an excellent way of utilising our knowledge for the benefit of the Region.
“We have a diverse team on this Expert Panel and I am confident that we will be able to ensure that the voice of civil engineers is heard where and when it counts so their expertise is utilised for the whole of our industry.”
ICE South East England has 11,000 members living and working in the region. More information can be found at www.ice.org.uk/see. You can follow ICE South East England on Twitter: @ICE_SEEngland