How do you build infrastructure with communities, not just for them?

Whether the UK can deliver on record infrastructure investment over the next decade will depend on more than funding, engineering expertise and political commitment. It will require public trust.

Hundreds of billions of pounds will go into the networks, systems and services that underpin our daily lives, from energy and water infrastructure to transport and digital connectivity.

These investments will help drive economic growth, support the transition to net zero and improve resilience in the face of climate change.

But the ICE believes that infrastructure works best when the people it serves are part of the conversation.

That is why we are launching a new programme exploring how public engagement can help improve infrastructure decision-making while strengthening trust in the institutions planning, funding and delivering it.

Ultimately, we will look at how it can support the successful delivery of the infrastructure the UK needs.

Why do we need to improve public engagement?

Many countries, including the UK, are experiencing wider challenges around trust in public institutions.

When infrastructure projects are delayed, cancelled or fail to deliver expected benefits, they can reinforce the perception that government and public bodies struggle to turn ambition into reality.

Conversely, when infrastructure is planned and delivered successfully, it can demonstrate that institutions are capable of solving problems and improving people's lives.

This creates an important opportunity.

Better public engagement isn’t simply about improving individual projects. It’s about helping communities understand the challenges the country faces, the trade-offs involved in addressing them and the role infrastructure plays in meeting future needs.

Done well, engagement can create a shared understanding of why investment is needed and how decisions are made.

Why now?

The changes brought in by the Planning and Infrastructure Act provide a platform for action.

Removing the need for developers to run consultations ahead of submitting a planning application opens up an opportunity for industry to think more creatively about how the public can be best engaged.

Similarly, the upcoming refresh of the 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy will mean that the government is thinking about what the UK will need and how it will be planned, funded and delivered.

The government has also signalled that there will be a step-change on several fronts.

First, the drive for greater devolution of powers to mayors and local authorities means that regional government will have a more powerful role to play in planning and delivering infrastructure.

And the government has also indicated that the current model of consultation across much of government will be replaced by a move towards new and more modern forms of public participation.

The public understands the value of infrastructure, but they want clearer information

A growing body of evidence suggests that people generally recognise the value of infrastructure.

However, they often want clearer information, earlier conversations and greater transparency about how decisions are reached.

Research by the ICE has shown that many members of the public feel information about major projects isn’t communicated effectively.

Our work will explore these issues in more depth.

What our programme will cover

We are particularly interested in understanding how public engagement can contribute to better infrastructure outcomes at every stage of the process, from identifying future needs and priorities through to planning, delivery and operation.

We want to understand what effective engagement looks like in practice, how it can support informed decision-making and how it can help build the public trust that infrastructure projects need to succeed.

Importantly, this is not about creating more barriers to infrastructure delivery. The UK needs to build and upgrade infrastructure more quickly, not more slowly.

Rather, our aim is to explore how meaningful engagement can help create certainty, reduce conflict and foster more constructive dialogue between communities, decision-makers and project sponsors.

Public engagement should enable better decisions and stronger outcomes, not become an obstacle to progress.

Exploring the role of local leadership

We are also interested in the changing role of place and local leadership.

As devolution continues and strategic authorities take on greater responsibilities, there may be new opportunities to connect national infrastructure priorities with local knowledge and community perspectives.

Understanding how different levels of government, industry and communities can work together will be an important part of the conversation.

Next steps

Over the coming months, the ICE will continue to bring together expertise from across infrastructure, public policy, academia, civil society and engagement practice to help shape this work.

We will be exploring lessons from the UK and internationally, considering how engagement can be more inclusive, transparent and effective. We will also identify practical ways to strengthen public confidence in infrastructure decision-making.

Infrastructure is ultimately about people. It connects communities, supports livelihoods and creates opportunities.

If the UK is to deliver the infrastructure needed for the future, building public understanding, confidence and trust must be part of the solution.