RLB_UK_Riders_Digest_2013

science, infrastructure, schools and academies.
The Autumn Statement also aims to support
both housing and commercial development,
supporting growth and jobs. This is to be
achieved by the Government providing a further
£683 million through capital grants and financial
transactions. In England, the Government will
invest £474 million in local infrastructure on a
recoverable basis. Around £60 million of this
will be made available to support infrastructure
in a limited number of Enterprise Zones.
Around £225 million will be used to accelerate
delivery of large housing sites, supporting
around 50,000 homes. Around £190 million
of the funding will be used to de-risk public
sector land and enable the quicker disposal of
surplus sites for new homes. Alongside this, the
Government will provide £100 million to bring
forward public sector sites for development.
It is expected that any recovery will be led
by the private sector. However this has been
overshadowed by the turmoil in the EU and a
plateauing of the domestic economy which is
influencing business and consumer confidence
and ultimately private sector investment.
Although the above initiatives have been
released this does not mean that economic
recovery will happen overnight. The statement
has had both positive and negative reviews.
Some say that it is a great example of the public
and private sector working together. Others
are more pessimistic as they believe that the
money to be released for infrastructure and
schools will not help the short term fortunes of
contractors, designers and consultants. Given
this, it is unlikely that the Construction Industry
will recover this year.
© Rider Levett Bucknall UK 2013
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