An event today organised by the British Property Federation (BPF) and Network Rail, ‘On the right track – linking transport infrastructure, property investment and economic growth’, will hear that whilst big emerging economies like China and India pour billions of pounds into roads and high-speed rail, and despite recent programmes of investment, the UK must continue to support innovative and sustainable upgrades to its infrastructure if it is to remain competitive in a global economy.
Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: “If the government is serious about the private sector leading the UK economy out of crisis, then businesses need our national infrastructure to truly support it.
“While public spending is being curtailed, our longer-term recovery requires sustained levels of investment in rail infrastructure on which the UK relies.
“We also look forward to hearing the Local Government Resource Review’s consideration of how tax increment financing can be delivered, which could be crucial in unlocking many stalled infrastructure developments.”
Patrick Butcher, group finance director at Network Rail went on to say: “Britain relies on rail and demand from passengers and business is greater than ever before. A modern, reliable infrastructure is vital for economic growth and the case for further investment is compelling. We need to provide value for money infrastructure so that private enterprise can flourish at the time the country needs it most.”
