The publication earlier this month of the National Infrastructure Commission’s first 30-year assessment of the UK’s infrastructure needs has the potential to be a landmark moment for construction. The commission (NIC) was set up by former chancellor George Osborne in 2015 to take the politics out of big infrastructure decisions – no longer, in theory, should big calls be subject to ministerial fiat on the basis of opaque advice from civil servants given behind closed doors. Rather, experts should scientifically consider all the options, publish their conclusions and dare the government to differ.

All in all, it is the epitome of evidence-based policy-making that the industry has been arguing for. “It’s a hugely important document, and something we’ve campaigned for the best part of a decade for,” says Alasdair Reisner, chief executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors’ Association (CECA).

But here’s the rub: the NIC’s assessment appears to contradict the government’s avowed policy on building a new generation of at least five nuclear power stations, which had been set to deliver a £45bn pipeline of work with just the first three. Instead, the National Infrastructure Assessment (see “Key recommendations”, below) concluded that investment in renewable technology – particularly offshore wind turbines – was the most cost-effective way to meet future demand for low-carbon power.

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