The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has started the next phase of the National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA).

The organisation has launched a call for evidence to gather input to the development of the NIA, which will run for 15 weeks.

The evidence call poses a range of questions divided into: cross-cutting themes, transport, digital communications, energy, water and wastewater, (drainage and sewerage), flood risk management, and solid waste.

Sir John Armitt, Deputy Chair of the NIC, said: "The National Infrastructure Assessment will be a world first in size and scope – and the Commission is absolutely committed to carrying it out in an open, transparent way, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders. Today we publish a new call for evidence in line with those principles.

"How can infrastructure best support growth, how should we decide what we repair and what we build, and who should pay for it – these are the sorts of big questions we need to answer. That’s why the Commission is asking for your views across these and a range of issues as we launch the next stage of our National Infrastructure Assessment."

In addition, the NIC has announced its two expert advisory groups, a Technical Panel and an Analytical Panel, who will work with the Commission to ensure that is work is subject to "rigorous scrutiny" before publication.


Sir John Armitt added: "The Commission is absolutely committed to ensuring that the analysis and advice we produce is held to the very highest of standards, and these expert advisory groups will help make certain that is the case."

Members of the expert advisory groups are as follows:

Technical Panel members:

• Tim Chapman, Arup

• Brian Collins, Professor of engineering, UCL

• Graham Dalton, Chief Executive of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation

• Richard Dawson, Director, Centre for Earth Systems Engineering Research Newcastle University

• Isabel Dedring, Director Global Transport Leader, Arup

• Jim Hall, Professor of Climate and Environmental Risks – Director of the Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University

• Hanif Kara, AKT II Founder and Equity Director

• Robert Mair, Professor of Civil Engineering Cambridge University

• Natasha McCarthy, Head of digital and data policy, Royal Society

• Lucy Musgrave, Director, Publica

• Robbie Owen, Head of Infrastructure Planning and Government Affairs, Pinsent Masons

• Nick Pidgeon, Professor of Environmental Risk, Cardiff University

Analytical Panel members:

• Mike Batty, Bartlett Professor of Planning, UCL

• Nick Crafts, Professor of Economics and Economic History, University of Warwick

• Diane Coyle, Professor of Economics at the University of Manchester

• Amelia Fletcher, Professor of Competition Policy, Norwich Business School

• David Newbery, Emeritus Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Economics University of Cambridge Economies, University of Oxford

• Henry Overman, Professor of Economics (LSE), Centre for Economic Performance London School of Economics

• Andrew Sentance, Senior Economic Adviser, PWC

• Jon Temple, Professor, Bristol University

• Tony Venables, BP Professor of Economics, Director, Oxford Centre for the Analysis of Resource Rich

The deadline for the 15-week call for evidence is Friday, 10 February 2017.

The view the NIC's response to its consultation into the process and methodology of the NIA, visit here

(LM)