In Newcastle last month, the 星空传媒 the Future Think Tank gathered a range of industry experts from the North-east of England to brainstorm how the region鈥檚 construction sector can pull together to effectively and rapidly upgrade its infrastructure as a basis for wider economic growth. Jordan Marshall reports
The North-east is a region rich in potential but poorly served by successive central governments, leading to decades of underinvestment. As the 星空传媒 the Future Think Tank convened in Newcastle for its latest roundtable, the consensus was clear: while recent Whitehall funding announcements are welcome, their impact may be slow to materialise.
Many of the built environment professionals in this discussion acknowledged that the decisions made in the spending review and the infrastructure strategy signal a long-awaited opportunity to catch up with other parts of the country. However, a chronic lack of investment in infrastructure 鈥� particularly transport connections 鈥� means there are real and urgent needs in the North-east that must be addressed in order for communities to truly thrive (see box on struggling transport links, below).
Understanding the specific challenges in the region 鈥� and drawing on local knowledge 鈥� was seen as key to unlocking some of the solutions. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all well and good announcing billions,鈥� said Kathryn Gardner, project director at K2 Construction Management, 鈥渂ut when apprentices can鈥檛 get to construction sites because there鈥檚 no functioning public transport, or colleges can鈥檛 recruit staff to train them, then we鈥檝e got to ask how any of this actually gets delivered.鈥�
Nik Welsh, executive director at Believe Housing and chair of Constructing Excellence North East, underscored the same frustration from a different angle. 鈥淭he Tyne Bridge being reduced to a single lane for years is very frustrating,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e spending huge amounts of money just to stand still 鈥� it鈥檚 not transformative investment, it鈥檚 survival.鈥�
Chaired by 星空传媒鈥檚 editorial director Chlo毛 McCulloch, this roundtable brought together senior figures from across the public and private sectors to confront the region鈥檚 deep-rooted infrastructure challenges. The goal was not just to air frustrations, but to propose practical solutions that could ensure long-overdue funding actually translates into progress for the North-east.
Participants discussed everything from the regional grid鈥檚 power constraints and planning delays to skills shortages and the challenge of turning infrastructure promises into shovels in the ground. A central theme dominated the debate: unless systemic blockers are addressed, the sector will remain stuck in a cycle of ambition without delivery.
Around the table
Chair: Chlo毛 McCulloch, editorial director, 星空传媒
Beth Barnes, regional director for the North-east and Yorkshire & Humber, Institution of Civil Engineers
Ian Freshwater, major projects programme manager, North East Combined Authority
Kathryn Gardner, project director, K2 Construction Management
Iain Garfield, board member, Constructing Excellent North East, and former head of estate planning and development, Newcastle University
Catriona Lingwood, chief executive, Constructing Excellence North East
Stuart Miller, director, Civil Engineering Contractors Association (North-east)
Justin Moss, head of rail, Gleeds
Simon Rennison-Rae, partner, GSSArchitecture
Simon Tolson, partner, Fenwick Elliott
Nik Welsh, executive director of communities and customer services, Believe Housing
Making infrastructure work for the North-east
鈥淚nfrastructure is an enabler,鈥� said Believe Housing鈥檚 Welsh, pointing to its dual role in reaching net zero goals and addressing transport connectivity. But it is only effective, she stressed, when it is aligned with other public strategies: 鈥淚f we can鈥檛 read across strategies, we鈥檙e going to keep failing.鈥�
That theme of alignment resonated with others. 鈥淚nfrastructure planning needs to be holistic,鈥� argued Beth Barnes, regional director for the North-east and Yorkshire & Humber at the Institution of Civil Engineers. 鈥淲e need to stop thinking in silos 鈥� utilities, digital connectivity, local transport 鈥� they all need to be part of the same picture.鈥�
For Iain Garfield, a member of the board at Constructing Excellent North East and formerly head of estate planning and development at Newcastle University, power constraints exemplify how local challenges can become national bottlenecks: 鈥淭he local provider, not the national grid, is the blocker. It鈥檚 access to local power that鈥檚 disabling projects.鈥�
This topic was emphasised by Fenwick Elliott partner Simon Tolson, who pointed out that planning and delivery are far too slow, especially in the face of AI-driven demand from new data centres and R&D clusters: 鈥淲e [Europe and the UK] need 20GW of extra capacity fast, or we fall behind globally.鈥�
From pipeline to potholes: making the money matter
Although attendees welcomed the billions of pounds earmarked for infrastructure by the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, many were sceptical about how much would actually reach shovel-ready projects in the near term.
鈥淲e are cautiously optimistic,鈥� said Stuart Miller, director of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (North-east). 鈥淭he numbers sound great, but the rollout is incredibly slow 鈥� there鈥檚 nothing coming this year, a trickle next year. Meanwhile, contractors are sat idle.鈥�
Gardner at K2 noted the paradox: 鈥淲e鈥檙e spending a lot of money just to stand still. It鈥檚 maintenance, not transformative investment.鈥�
Ian Freshwater, major projects programme manager for the North East Combined Authority (NECA), emphasised the importance of joining up strategy with execution 鈥� which he feels has become possible since NECA鈥檚 formation in 2024 covering seven local authority areas under the first elected mayor, Kim McGuiness. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got a new spatial plan and devolved powers 鈥� that鈥檚 a game-changer. But it鈥檚 meaningless without power, planning alignment and funding mechanisms that unlock real growth.鈥�
Struggling transport links in Newcastle and the North-east
The panel agreed that residents in the North-east feel they cannot rely on the transport network to connect them to work opportunities. One member of the panel who lives south of the Tyne said it is not 鈥渨orth it going to my city centre鈥� because of difficulties crossing the river.
- Many key bridges and roads require ongoing work and suffer from closures or limited capacity. Examples include ongoing maintenance works on the A1, the Tyne Bridge, the Redheugh Bridge, the Tyne Tunnel (single lane in parts) and the Swing Bridge, causing concern for daily commuters.
- The Gateshead Flyover has been shut since December 2024 when engineers found it unsafe for traffic. Gateshead council, which has approved plans for it be demolished before the end of the year, has said it intends to build a replacement road.
- The North-east is a large geographical area with low population density, making it expensive to run services such as buses, because demand is insufficient for profitability.
- One recent welcome addition to the network is the Northumberland Line 鈥� the newest railway line in the country, having opened in December last year. This is the first time there has been a passenger service from Ashington to Newcastle for 60 years. However, the funding was limited to the rail line with no explicit provision for associated growth around the stations.
Fixing planning: people, process, policy
Planning delays emerged as a critical blocker. 鈥淓veryone complains about planning,鈥� said Simon Rennison-Rae, partner at GSSArchitecture. 鈥淏ut the issue is that planners are underpaid and overwhelmed. The best ones go private, and then local authorities can鈥檛 compete.鈥�
Welsh added: 鈥淚t takes so long to get things moving. We鈥檝e got 拢13.2bn for the Warm Homes Fund [aimed at reducing fuel poverty and cutting carbon emissions] 鈥� but how do we deliver that if we can鈥檛 get through the planning system fast enough?鈥�
For Tolson, it鈥檚 not just the people 鈥� it鈥檚 the system: 鈥淭he planning framework is too politicised. Infrastructure needs cross-party support and long-term certainty. Otherwise, it鈥檚 just lip service.鈥�
Recommendations from the North-east to unlock infrastructure delivery
Joined-up planning:
Infrastructure delivery needs to be co-ordinated across energy, transport, housing and digital sectors, rather than developed in isolation. This requires integrated spatial planning that goes beyond local boundaries, crossing counties and combined authority lines to ensure infrastructure systems function as cohesive, future-proof networks.
Secure long-term funding:
Too often, local areas are forced into repeated bidding rounds for short-term pots of money, which creates uncertainty and delays. Instead, regions need long-term, cross-party financial commitments that enable confident planning, continuity in delivery and meaningful engagement with private investors.
Empower local authorities:
Local planning departments are understaffed and overburdened, with many skilled professionals leaving for better-paid roles in the private sector. Addressing this imbalance with proper resourcing, training and retention strategies is essential if local authorities are to play their full role in unlocking development.
Rethink skills investment:
Further education colleges are over-subscribed and unable to expand due to a shortage of qualified teaching staff and limited funding. The system must incentivise industry professionals to support training and explore innovative models 鈥� such as employer-led delivery or shared apprenticeship schemes 鈥� to build a skilled workforce at pace.
Measure value differently:
Current value-for-money assessments often disadvantage rural or economically deprived areas because they rely on narrow cost-benefit metrics. A revised approach should take into account wider social impacts, regional need and long-term community outcomes when prioritising investment.
Reform procurement:
Single-stage, lowest-price procurement models undermine quality, innovation and supply chain sustainability. The sector needs long-term, collaborative frameworks that allow for early contractor involvement, fair risk sharing and a focus on delivering best value over the project lifecycle.
Fix the grid:
Power availability is a fundamental barrier to development, with delays in grid connections stalling housing, commercial and clean energy projects across the region. National and local stakeholders must prioritise upgrading transmission infrastructure and streamlining connections to unlock growth and deliver on net zero targets.
Skills and supply chain: building the builders
One of the most urgent issues was identified by the panel was the sector鈥檚 ability to deliver. 鈥淭wenty-five percent of our workforce will retire in the next decade,鈥� warned Catriona Lingwood, chief executive of Constructing Excellence North-east. 鈥淎nd nearly every college is oversubscribed. But they can鈥檛 expand, because they can鈥檛 attract lecturers 鈥� they鈥檙e underpaid compared to working in industry.鈥�
Gardner proposed a rethink: 鈥淲e should consider using industry staff to teach part-time instead of just paying the CITB levy. We need new ways to bring trainers in.鈥�
Justin Moss, head of rail at Gleeds, added that timing is everything: 鈥淏y the time big schemes get started, we might not have the skilled workers left to do the job. You need human infrastructure as much as physical infrastructure.鈥�
NECA鈥檚 Freshwater pointed out that the combined authority now has a devolved adult education budget and there is a range of investments in boot camps, South Tyneside College and Newcastle College. But as he noted, there are missed opportunities even when bootcamps are successful: 鈥淲e trained up 50 welders for offshore wind, and half were snapped up by defence projects the next week.鈥�
Procurement reform: from lowest cost to lasting value
Several participants linked delivery issues back to flawed procurement practices. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a race to the bottom on fees,鈥� said Gardner. 鈥淔irms can鈥檛 afford to let graduates shadow seniors any more 鈥� they鈥檙e expected to bill from day one.鈥�
The roundtable called for a broader shift in how value is measured. 鈥淪ocial mobility, regional rebalancing and human outcomes should factor into value for money,鈥� said Rennison-Rae. 鈥淥therwise we鈥檒l never justify infrastructure in the areas that need it most.鈥�
The need to come together
As the session wrapped up, participants were asked to share their 鈥渕ust-have鈥� recommendations (see recommendations, above) to unlock infrastructure delivery in the North-east.
One call came through loud and clear: the North must speak with one voice. As several attendees suggested, there is a growing case for a pan-Northern approach to infrastructure that goes beyond the boundaries of individual combined authorities. The idea of the Great North 鈥� a unified strategic effort between devolved authorities across the North 鈥� gained support around the table.
鈥淚f we can bring the North-east, North-west and Yorkshire together to act collectively, we stand a much better chance of securing the investment we need,鈥� said NECA鈥檚 Freshwater. 鈥淭he infrastructure challenges don鈥檛 stop at local borders 鈥� our response shouldn鈥檛 either.鈥�
Gardner agreed, saying: 鈥淭he ambition is there. But to make it real, the systems, voices and investments all need to align 鈥� not just within the North-east, but across the whole of The Great North.鈥�
Our editorial research hub, known as the 星空传媒 the Future Think Tank, is dedicated to producing in-depth research and reports on behalf of the industry.
In partnership with Constructing Excellence and supported by national sponsors Fenwick Elliott and Gleeds, we are travelling around the country convening high-level roundtable discussions with experts in different regions to ensure that the think tank hears from all corners of the UK.
You can be part of the think tank鈥檚 work by joining us at our 星空传媒 the Future Conference on 2 October 2025.
We would like to thank our national sponsors Fenwick Elliott and Gleeds for their ongoing support.
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