Turning intent into delivery: the real test behind the UK’s 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy
The UK’s new Infrastructure Strategy sets bold ambitions — but turning intent into delivery will require governance reform, capabilities, and systemic resilience. Here are my reflections on what it will take to achieve real impact.
The UK’s long-standing delivery gap on infrastructure is now front and centre. With the new 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, the Government signals a fresh commitment: to align infrastructure investment with long-term national growth — and, this time, to get delivery right.
For the first time, economic, social and housing infrastructure are brought together under a single strategic framework. It reflects a growing realisation: resilient, high-performing infrastructure must be governed as a system, not as a collection of disconnected assets.
Yet the Strategy also acknowledges a deeper truth: capital investment alone is not enough. Governance, delivery capability, and institutional resilience will ultimately determine success.
Having reviewed the Strategy and sector reactions, here are some reflections on what will be critical to turn intent into delivery.
From vision to execution: the governance test
The creation of the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) is a welcome step. Its mandate — to integrate strategy, planning and delivery across infrastructure — addresses the fact that many historic delivery failures were governance failures.
But positioning alone is not enough. The real test will be whether governance frameworks can drive genuine coordination — across Whitehall departments, local authorities, delivery partners and regions — and whether institutional learning is embedded from past missteps.
Pipelines, certainty — and usability
A transparent Infrastructure Pipeline can provide the visibility industry needs to invest in skills, capacity and technology.
Yet a pipeline is only as useful as it is current and usable. Static reporting will not suffice. The Pipeline must evolve into a living tool that informs decisions and fosters alignment between public and private actors.
Resilience — beyond the asset base
The Strategy’s focus on resilience is timely. But resilience must extend beyond physical assets: it must be built into how the UK governs, funds and delivers major programmes.
This means strengthening institutional capacity, embedding adaptive delivery frameworks, and ensuring organisations can manage uncertainty across programme lifecycles — from climate and cyber risks to political shocks.
Learning from HS2: clarity, readiness, accountability
The Strategy’s candid reflection on HS2 is an important signal. The core lessons — the need for strategic clarity, delivery readiness and accountable governance — are well understood. But embedding those lessons across the system remains the challenge.
If the UK is to avoid repeating past failures, delivery models must evolve: with clearer decision-making, realistic phasing, and governance structures that can sustain alignment across political cycles.
As highlighted in evidence submitted to the APPG on Project Delivery, recurring barriers include: governance misaligned with project phases; fragmented client roles; weak dynamic adaptation; inconsistent cost estimation; and political distortion of long-term delivery. Cultural inertia — the tendency to repeat known governance errors — remains a further obstacle.
Encouragingly, the Strategy acknowledges many of these issues. But rebuilding delivery confidence will demand more than procedural reforms. It will require governance that is adaptive, resilient and durable through political change — across HS2 and beyond.
Spatial planning and systemic coordination
Delivering “the right infrastructure, in the right places, at the right time” will require more than digital tools. It will demand a cultural shift in collaboration: between central government, local authorities, delivery agencies and industry.
Spatial Development Strategies must be fully embedded in governance practice — not an afterthought. Sustained cross-boundary coordination is essential to unlock systemic value.
Integrating social infrastructure into system governance
Bringing social infrastructure into the national strategy is an important advance. But translating this into delivery will depend on strong cross-sector governance.
Building a high-quality social infrastructure estate — aligned with spatial planning and service delivery — will require collaboration across public services, supply chains and data-driven decision-making.
Capabilities, skills — and delivery resilience
Funding pipelines matter. But human and institutional capability will ultimately determine whether strategies succeed.
Investing in public sector capability, supply chain skills, and project leadership must be treated as a strategic priority — not a secondary consideration.
Delivering territorial impact: overcoming fragmentation
Broad-based, resilient growth will not materialise unless governance can overcome deep-rooted fragmentation — across sectors, levels of government, and funding streams.
Tools and frameworks help, but culture, alignment and leadership will drive results. Without them, even well-resourced programmes will struggle to deliver impact on the ground.
The opportunity — and the real challenge
The 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy sets a bold direction — and marks a real institutional shift.
Yet the hardest work lies ahead: in governance reform, capability-building, and sustained coordination.
If the UK can deliver on these less visible enablers, infrastructure could indeed become the backbone of a more resilient and prosperous future.