CEW, ICE and ACE and consultants, contractors and decision makers across the Welsh built environment are collaborating to determine what a plan for Welsh infrastructure looks like.

The next phase of the project to determine what, where and when and then how to finance the infrastructure of Wales moved forward at a CEW, ACE and ICE workshop. It came hard on the heels of George Osborne’s autumn statement and a strong article championing Wales’ built environment in the Western Mail.

Wales needs to shape up if it is to become the dynamic economy that everyone wants and creating an infrastructure that boosts the Welsh economy and helps our communities is a step everyone agrees needs to be taken.

This was the overall message at the Infrastructure Investment and Delivery in Wales Conference on 4th November and the focus for the workshop on 26th November was to look at the objectives and composition of the new Wales Infrastructure Forum, announced by Jane Hutt AM, Minister for Finance and Government Business. She is wholeheartedly backing CEW and our stakeholders and has stressed the Welsh Government’s commitment to building a more prosperous Wales with a world class infrastructure. Mrs Hutt has pinpointed the Wales Infrastructure Investment Plan (WIIP) as the road map to achieve this – but we as an industry need to advise, cajole, educate and discuss the right priorities. Our new forum and the workshop last week has to challenge conventional thinking. How will schemes be funded? How will projects deliver benefits to communities? Will grand ideas about Welsh infrastructure boost our economy? Most importantly we need to reach out to as many stakeholder groups as possible ranging from the various Chambers of Commerce around Wales, the CBI and IoD to consumer user groups of transport systems, schools and patient groups. Every part of the Welsh community is affected by what we build and we need to involve as many elements of Welsh society as possible to help determine the right plan for the country’s infrastructure.

Watch this space for more updates from our working group and please contact CEW to offer your ideas and feedback.