20 Jun 2025

UK Infrastructure: A 10 Year Strategy – Summary

Overview

The UK government has published its first comprehensive 10-year infrastructure strategy, bringing together economic, social, and housing infrastructure under one unified approach. The strategy aims to drive economic growth, improve living standards, and position the UK as a clean energy superpower. Specific focus on Northern Ireland also.

Key Financial Commitment

  • £725 billion of government infrastructure funding over the next decade
  • Ensures infrastructure funding grows at least in line with inflation after the current spending review period
  • Represents the largest infrastructure investment programme in a generation

New Institutional Framework

National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) established as the central coordinating body, bringing together:

  • Infrastructure policy and strategy development
  • Project delivery and assurance
  • Private finance expertise
  • Cross-sector coordination

Six Core Areas of Investment

1. Transport and Digital Connectivity

  • £24 billion for road maintenance and improvements (2026-30)
  • £15.6 billion for Transport for City Regions settlements
  • £2.5 billion for East West Rail (Oxford-Cambridge corridor)
  • Continuing HS2 delivery and Transpennine Route Upgrade
  • £2 billion for AI infrastructure and sovereign compute capacity

2. Clean Energy Transition

  • Target: Clean power by 2030
  • 43-50 GW offshore wind, 27-29 GW onshore wind, 45-47 GW solar by 2030
  • £14.2 billion support for Sizewell C nuclear plant
  • £9.4 billion for Carbon Capture, Usage and Storage (CCUS)
  • £13.2 billion Warm Homes Plan for energy efficiency and heat pumps

3. Housing Development

  • Target: 1.5 million new homes this Parliament
  • £39 billion Affordable Homes Programme (10 years)
  • £16 billion new National Housing Bank capacity
  • Planning reforms to unlock brownfield and grey belt development

4. Social Infrastructure

  • £119 billion total investment (health, education, justice)
  • £70 billion for health infrastructure including 35 new hospitals
  • £38 billion for education, rebuilding 500+ schools
  • £11 billion for justice system including 14,000 new prison places

5. Environmental Improvements

  • £7.9 billion flood defense investment programme (10 years)
  • £500 million Nature Restoration Fund over 3 years
  • Biodiversity Net Gain requirements for major projects
  • Support for circular economy transition

6. Private Investment

  • Mansion House Accord: £25+ billion from pension schemes
  • Enhanced role for public financial institutions
  • Reformed economic regulation to encourage investment
  • Selective use of Public Private Partnerships

Regional Growth Strategy

  • Focus on city regions and high-potential economic clusters
  • Transport for City Regions funding for major urban areas
  • Support for Northern Powerhouse connectivity
  • Oxford-Cambridge corridor development
  • Integrated settlements for mayors with greater funding flexibility

Key Innovations

  1. Infrastructure Pipeline: Digital platform launching July 2025 showing 10-year project outlook
  2. Spatial Planning: Coordinated approach across sectors and geographies
  3. Mega Project Reform: New governance for projects over £10 billion
  4. Long-term Funding: 10-year budget certainty for key programmes

Implementation Timeline

  • 2025: Strategy launch, Infrastructure Pipeline goes live
  • 2026-27: New integrated settlements for city regions begin
  • 2028: Construction starts on West Yorkshire Mass Transit
  • 2030: Clean power target, major infrastructure milestones
  • 2035: Long-term targets for flood resilience and education estate

Expected Outcomes

  • Boost productivity and economic growth across all UK regions
  • Create thousands of well-paid jobs in construction and clean energy
  • Improve resilience to climate change and security threats
  • Support the transition to net zero emissions
  • Enhance quality of life through better public services and housing

The strategy represents a fundamental shift toward long-term, coordinated infrastructure planning designed to unlock economic growth while addressing climate change and regional inequalities.

Northern Ireland in the UK Infrastructure Strategy

Limited Direct Investment Due to Devolution

Northern Ireland receives relatively limited direct mention in the UK’s 10-year infrastructure strategy because most infrastructure responsibilities are devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. The UK strategy primarily covers reserved matters and cross-border infrastructure.

Specific UK Government Commitments for Northern Ireland

Direct Investments Mentioned:

  • Belfast Region City Deal – UK government recommitting to this major economic development initiative
  • Casement Park redevelopment – Support for the GAA stadium project in Belfast

Reserved Infrastructure Areas:

The UK strategy will deliver for Northern Ireland in areas that remain reserved to Westminster:

  • Digital infrastructure (excluding data centres)
  • Nuclear energy (though much energy policy is devolved)
  • Cross-border rail connections

Northern Ireland’s Own Infrastructure Strategy

Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland (ISNI)

  • £30 billion total infrastructure investment planned over 10 years
  • £26 billion of this will be public funding
  • Covers period up to 2050 with detailed 10-year delivery plan
  • Draft published in 2022, final strategy to serve as Strategic Infrastructure Plan
  • Committed to in the Interim Fiscal Framework (2024)

ISNI Enabling Action Plan

Contains 12 strategic actions to address long-standing infrastructure challenges across three themes:

  • People – workforce and skills development
  • Process – delivery mechanisms and procedures
  • Policy – strategic frameworks and governance

Devolved Responsibilities in Northern Ireland

The following infrastructure areas are managed by the Northern Ireland Executive:

  • Flood risk management
  • Waste management
  • Water and wastewater
  • Health infrastructure
  • Education infrastructure
  • Housing
  • Most transport infrastructure
  • Most energy policy (except nuclear)

Coordination Mechanisms

UK-Northern Ireland Collaboration:

  • Council of Nations and Regions – forum for coordination between UK government and devolved administrations
  • Inter-Ministerial Groups – established under Review of Intergovernmental Relations
  • Alignment commitment – UK government notes “strong alignment between the Strategy and the plans of the devolved governments”

Strategic Context

Why Limited UK Coverage:

The UK strategy acknowledges that “many aspects of infrastructure are largely devolved” in Northern Ireland, meaning the Northern Ireland Executive has primary responsibility for most infrastructure planning and delivery.

Cross-Border Implications:

  • Some reserved infrastructure (like digital networks and energy transmission) will benefit Northern Ireland as part of UK-wide systems
  • The strategy recognizes need for coordination where infrastructure crosses borders or has UK-wide implications

Key Takeaway

While Northern Ireland appears to have limited direct investment in this UK strategy, this reflects the constitutional reality that infrastructure is largely a devolved matter. The real infrastructure investment for Northern Ireland comes through the separate £30 billion ISNI programme managed by the Northern Ireland Executive, with UK government support focused on reserved areas and specific committed projects like the Belfast City Deal and Casement Park.