ICE's submission to the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland’s call for evidence

To ensure that the Infrastructure Commission for Scotland’s advice to Scottish Government is as effective as possible, ICE Scotland recommends the following:

• The Commission should include resilience as an additional strategic driver for infrastructure provision, recognising that resilient networks are critical in order to better serve and protect Scotland’s regions, cities, and communities.
• In acknowledging the important role that green infrastructure plays in climate change mitigation and adaption the Commission should advise the Scottish Government to broaden its current definition of infrastructure in order that green infrastructure is included in any long-term strategy.
• The Commission’s advice to Scottish Government should take a whole-life benefits approach to infrastructure investment and be framed within a systems context; at the local, regional and national levels also noting that “the Place Principle” was launched in Scotland last year.
• Across energy, rail, roads and water the Commission should consider the finance and funding recommendations put forward in ICE Scotland’s State of the Nation Scotland 2018: Infrastructure Investment report.
• The Commission should consult with international organisations (both governmental and non-governmental) that have undertaken similar infrastructure prioritisation exercises to identify and adopt best practice approaches. ICE will be publishing a study later this year that looks at best practice within this space.

The submission should be read in conjunction with ICE’s State of the Nation Scotland 2018: Infrastructure Investment report. The Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium’s (ITRC) Scotland National Needs Assessment (NNA) Demand Drivers report has been referred to in part in the development of this evidence submission.

• ITRC Scotland National Needs Assessment Demand Drivers
• State of the Nation Scotland 2018: Infrastructure Investment