Outside body

The key priorities for England’s Economic Heartland are:

·       Delivery of East-West Rail – both the western and central sections

·       Investment in an East-West Expressway road, recognising that this may be achieved incrementally

·       Investment in the key transport hubs – recognising that high-quality hubs are attractive as a focus for investment

·       Support for the identification of a Major Road Network – a combination of Highways England’s road network and the more significant roads owned and operated by Local Transport Authorities

·       Investment in strategic local connectivity – investing in improved access within urban areas, the so called ‘first mile/last mile’

Other priorities focussed on our wider infrastructure are:

·       Digital and mobile connectivity – ensuring that the digital infrastructure supports inward investment nationally and direct foreign investment

·       Power networks – ensuring that capacity in the network does not act as a constraint on development

·       Commercial viability of sites and utilities – ensuring that investment is made in utility networks ahead of new commercial and housing development

·       Public Services – looking for Government to work with local partners to ensure there is sufficient investment in education and skills development

·       Funding and Financing – realising opportunities to put in place more innovative approaches to funding and financing investment in infrastructure

·       Planning – looking to improve the co-ordination of planning for strategic infrastructure and simplification/acceleration of planning processes as a means of improving certainty for investors