Planning reform and major engineering recruitment campaign amongst measures proposed

Scotland needs a bold overhaul of its approach to planning and delivering infrastructure if it is to unlock economic growth and attract private investment, according to a new manifesto launched today by ACE Scotland, ahead of the Holyrood elections in May.   

The engineering and infrastructure consultancy body has launched a call to the next Scottish Government to develop a long-term Infrastructure 2050 strategy, as part of a package of governance, investment, and skills improvements.  

Sarah Peterson, Chair of ACE Scotland, said: "Scotland has a huge infrastructure challenge ahead of us. On the one hand, we need to renew ageing infrastructure, but at the same time, we need to deliver new infrastructure to drive economic growth.    

While Scotland has a strong vision, delivery of this vision is being held back because of a series of issues, including a lack of governance, short-term funding certainty, and systems not fully supporting long-term planning. We need to think of infrastructure as a national investment strategy, something that supports productivity, resilience, and sustainable growth."  

To help deliver infrastructure despite the constraints of public funding, ACE Scotland has also called for the introduction of a Scottish Mutual Investment Model, which allows private investment to be used to support infrastructure delivery programmes. The organisation says that this will be crucial in terms of attracting investment and delivering infrastructure at pace.   

Another key area that the report has identified as being significant is the skills shortage across Scotland. ACE Scotland is asking that there be a national engineering skills audit, as well as stronger links between education and industry and a national campaign to recruit engineers similar to the Army’s ‘Be the Best Campaign’.  

Ben Brittain, the Director of Public Affairs at ACE and the author of the report, said: “ACE’s Scotland manifesto sets out the reforms needed so Scotland can plan its infrastructure more strategically, invest for the long term, and deliver projects efficiently from concept to delivery.  

Scotland’s energy transition must also deliver resilience. Alongside renewables, we need to explore low-carbon power technologies that can provide stability as demand grows. Infrastructure should also support nature recovery and embed natural capital into project design. If we take that integrated approach, we can deliver infrastructure that strengthens energy security, supports economic growth and restores the natural environment at the same time.”

The Delivering Infrastructure 2050 manifesto sets out a wide programme of reforms aimed at improving how infrastructure is planned and delivered across Scotland, including procurement reform, new approaches to private investment and measures to accelerate project delivery. The full report can be accessed here.

The Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) is the business association for the UK’s professional consultancy and engineering companies operating in the social and economic infrastructure sectors.

We represent around 400 member companies, large and small. As the leading voice for the sector, we foster collaboration to propel the industry to fulfil its ambitions.

The sector is highly skilled, productive, and forward-looking - employing over 470,000 people and contributing more than £39 billion to the UK economy. It competes on a global stage, exporting over £11 billion, providing solutions to the world’s pressing issues and holds the key to a brighter future.