Infrastructure
The Single Pot Approach
Building on recommendations of the National Infrastructure Commission, the WMCA wishes
to collaboratively develop a rolling five-year infrastructure programme supported with the necessary coherent and consistent funding. This single approach has a specific focus on critical enabling infrastructure such as transport, housing, energy, natural capital and digital connectivity to drive the jobs and growth of the future and deliver a coherent response to the Covid19 pandemic. WMCA are partnering with Greater Manchester CA and Liverpool City Region CA to become the national champions of this new approach, which builds on the clear direction of travel Government has set in recent years.
Having greater flexibility in place over funding programmes and the opportunity for local targeting, aligned to an agreed set of outcomes and outputs across Government, would help to make the most out of our resources but also ensure we invest in the right projects at the right time in the right place and maximise our intervention effectiveness.
A single infrastructure package provides circa £2.4bn of investment over the first five- year period (2021/2022 to 2025/2026). The resources can be profiled over a number of years and would need close collaboration with government to develop this further.
Projects |
Total (£m's) |
|
UKC Hub (includes £95m recharge proposal and future ambitions) |
334.9 |
|
Transport (includes recharge projects, future local spending and future ambitions) |
1,500 |
|
Housing and Land (includes recharge submission and future ambitions) |
600 |
| Total | 2434.9 |
Transport Infrastructure
£1.5bn capital £87.3m revenue
Summary
We want to deliver a greener transport system fit for a growing population which better connects our communities and aims to protect and enhance our environment.
The West Midlands is the UK’s first Future Transport Zone and the first 5G connected urban area. At the heart of the UK, we are leading industry and Government innovation and research into clean, electrified, connected and integrated transport and we will continue to grow the West Midlands role as a world leader in future mobility.
Outcomes
Delivery of an integrated transport system providing new connectivity from HS2 to the world class stations at Curzon & Interchange. This will enhance accessibility and increase the proportion of residents able to access key town and city centres. Plans include:
- A revitalised gateway station at Perry Barr (Benefit Cost Ratio: 2.3)
- Five new stations at Darlaston, Willenhall, Moseley, Kings Heath and Hazelwell
- 125km new Sprint bus routes - A34 Birmingham to Walsall and A45 Birmingham to Solihull/ Airport – (Benefit Cost Ratio: 3.0)
Working towards a zero-carbon transport system by investing in active travel options, public transport, alternative fuels and digital technologies.
Plans include:
-
New cycle ways (full LCWIP delivery)
-
Around 2,250 new EV charge points
-
60 high power charge points for buses
UK Central Hub
£334.9m capital
Summary
Outcomes
- The business case for UK Central shows that this investment will unlock significant benefits including:
- 70,000 new and safeguarded jobs 650,000m2 of new commercial development 5,000 new homes
- Net additional GVA of £6.2bn per annum once complete
Residential and Commercial Development
£989.4m capital £123.7m revenue
Summary
This package of investments will enhance our housing, town centres and regeneration infrastructure to accelerate development and stimulate a sustainable economic recovery. These proposals build on the asks in our Recharge investment case to Government – namely £400m for affordable housing, £200m brownfield funding, £250m for retrofit and combatting fuel poverty, £50m to support Advanced Manufacturing methods of Construction (AMC), a £50m energy transition proposal and a 5G barrier-busting programme.
Outcomes
- Brownfield regeneration programme to unlock a minimum of 13,000 new homes
- 15,000 additional affordable homes
- Ten town centre investment programmes to accelerate homes, jobs and growth in urban centres
- 5,000 new homes built using the most advanced eco-friendly modular construction techniques
-
The application of AMC to the retrofit market, in line with the region’s ambition to achieve a zero carbon homes standard by 2025
-
Tackling fuel poverty through tailored energy efficiency measures on 6,000 properties. Over 1,000 jobs created, 240 jobs safeguarded; retrofit internship programme for 1,000 graduates
- Whole-house retrofit scale-up programme to convert 50,000 homes by end of 2022
NaturalCapital
£80m Capital £17.2m revenue
Summary
Green and blue infrastructure (often referred to as ‘natural capital’) encourages better physical and mental wellbeing, as well as mitigating the effects of climate change. The coronavirus pandemic has brought the importance of natural capital into focus, where access to high quality green space has been cherished by those lucky enough to have it and longed for by those that do not.
To address this deficiency, and to help us meet our target of zero carbon emissions by 2041, we propose to create a Green Infrastructure Fund to help ‘regreen’ our towns and cities.
Outcomes
-
Planting 1 million trees across the West Midlands by 2025, regreening the most deprived areas of the West Midlands and adding to our Virtual Forest project.
-
Establishing 100 community green projects across the region
-
Support for the West Midlands National Park
– scoping and delivering the first five projects across the West Midlands, working closely with our partners at Birmingham City University. -
Developing a Local Nature Recovery Strategy