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Press release: £15billion road upgrade plan updated to minimise congestion

Plans for twenty-six road upgrades have been revised to reduce roadworks taking place in the same area of the network or on popular journey routes at the same time. This will mean less congestion for motorists as Highways England embarks on the biggest road upgrade plan for a generation.

The Supplementary Delivery Plan published today will see Highways England rescheduling its programme for the schemes between three and 24 months – meaning a number of schemes will be completed earlier than planned. All are still set for delivery as part of the Government’s first road investment strategy.

Jim O’Sullivan, Highways England Chief Executive said:

Our update today is a sensible and responsible way to deliver major national investment in road infrastructure. It will keep our roads moving, deliver a lasting legacy for the country and ensure best value for money for the taxpayer.

Now, more than two years into delivery of a £15 billion Government investment in motorways and major A roads, Highways England has already completed 18 major schemes, adding more than 190 lane miles of much-needed capacity to the nation’s roads.

The 10 schemes being brought forward are:

  • A19 Testos
  • A19 Downhill Lane
  • M56 junctions 6-8 smart motorway
  • M6 junctions 21a – 26 smart motorway
  • M6 junction 22 upgrade
  • A500 Etruria
  • M6 junction 10
  • M4 Heathrow Slips
  • A47 Acle Straight -small scale improvement
  • A47 and A12 junction enhancement

The 16 schemes being re-scheduled to smooth the timing and frequency of roadworks are:

  • A5 Dodwells to Longshoot widening
  • M3 junction 9 improvement
  • A31 Ringwood
  • M27 junctions 4-11
  • A47 North Tuddenham to Easton
  • A47 Blofield to North Burlingham dualling
  • M25 junction 25 improvement
  • M25 junction 28 improvement
  • A1 Birtley to Coal House
  • M60 junctions 24-27 and junction 1-4 smart motorway
  • A47/A11 Thickthorn
  • A47 Wansford to Sutton
  • A47 Guyhirn Junction
  • A12 Chelmsford to A120 widening
  • M25 junction 10/A3 Wisley interchange
  • M25 junctions 10-16

Highways England is obliged to ensure that investment in the road network delivers good value for money. Following a full review the Road Investment Strategy (RIS) programme some schemes require further development to achieve an acceptable return on investment. As a result, in addition to the 26 schemes above, 6 schemes have been paused for further review and consideration as part of future RIS planning process.

These schemes are:

  • A1 & A19 Technology enhancements
  • M11 junctions 8 to 14 technology upgrade
  • A12 whole-route technology upgrade
  • M53 junctions 5-11 smart motorway
  • A14 Junction 10a
  • M62/ M606 Chain Bar

Two further schemes required rework to achieve value for money; however, changes in local development plans mean that these schemes can be progressed, albeit in the early stages of Road Period 2. These are:

  • M5 Bridgwater junction improvements
  • A50 Uttoxeter Project B growth corridor project

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Link: Press release: £15billion road upgrade plan updated to minimise congestion
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: New guidance to help charities comply with financial sanctions

New guidance has today been published by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) to help ensure compliance with financial sanctions which are designed to support UK foreign policy and national security.

OFSI works closely with charities, regulators and banks to understand common challenges faced by those operating in some of the most hostile environments.

The move was prompted by requests, notably from smaller charities, asking for clearer information on issues affecting the sector so they could ensure they complied.

Rena Lalgie, Head of OFSI, said:

We realise that charities often operate in challenging environments. This practical guidance is an important step in our efforts to raise awareness of financial sanctions and help charities and NGOs better understand their responsibilities.

We look forward to continuing to work with the Charity Commission in England and Wales, and its equivalents in Scotland and Northern Ireland, to further the UK’s sanctions and humanitarian aid policies.

Michelle Russell, Director of Investigations, Monitoring and Enforcement at The Charity Commission, said:

We have listened to feedback from our outreach work with charities operating internationally. Some charities weren’t aware that it is illegal to receive money, goods or economic resources from – or send these to – an individual or organisation subject to financial sanctions unless they have a licence or an exemption applies. Others found it challenging to navigate the rules about this. We’re pleased to have worked with OFSI on the guidance to address this knowledge gap.

We will continue to work proactively and collaboratively with international charities and other authorities to ensure that laws designed to restrict access to finances to terrorists and others are complied with, without impacting the important, often life-saving, work of many charities in high-risk areas around the world.

Further information

This guidance helps clarify what activity may be permitted under an OFSI licence and how to apply. It also promotes various sources of information and advice available to charities and NGOs, including OFSI’s email and telephone enquiry service and the Charity Commission’s toolkit for charities and NGOs.

The new guidance document is available on OFSI’s guidance page.

Link: Press release: New guidance to help charities comply with financial sanctions
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Have your say on Alney Island flood defence scheme

The event, which will be held at Riverside Sports Club, St Oswald’s Road, Gloucester, GL1 2TF on Monday 30 October from 2pm until 7pm. Attendees can meet the Environment Agency’s project team who will be on hand to provide information about the scheme, which will benefit more than 70 properties in the area with an increased level of protection.

Due to the location of Alney Island, the area is at risk from both fluvial and tidal flooding from the River Severn and the Environment Agency has been working closely with consultants, partners and the community on a range of technical options, including raising the existing defence or constructing a new defence. The proposed plans have been created using the latest two-dimensional modelling technique capture more accurate detail of the area.

At the drop in event, members of the local community and other interested parties, will be able to view and discuss the current options.

The area was severely flooded in 2007 following record breaking rainfall across the area, leading the Environment Agency to investigate whether further protection measures could be possible.

Craig Barker, Project Manager at the Environment Agency said:

We have worked closely with our consultants and partners to develop potential options. We are looking forward to hearing what residents and businesses have to say about the proposals at the event on 30 October.

For further information about how to prepare for flooding, sign up for flood warnings and to find out if your home is at risk please visit https://www.gov.uk/prepare-for-a-flood

Link: Press release: Have your say on Alney Island flood defence scheme
Source: Environment Agency

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Press release: Boris Johnson announces new prosperity programming for Mexico

This will build on a number of successful UK-backed programmes in the country, and will open up the Mexican market to UK businesses in the energy, future cities and financial services sectors.

By helping to improve Mexico’s business environment and supporting the Mexican government to develop policies that foster an open market, the investment, worth around £60 million over the next four years, will boost the longstanding UK-Mexico partnership, increase prosperity for both countries, and create opportunities for new business, including those from the UK.

The UK has supported a number of successful programmes in Mexico in recent years, including the creation of a competitive renewable energy market, which has already resulted in millions of pounds worth of business for UK companies.

The new prosperity programme will also increase the country’s recovery and resilience efforts following the recent earthquakes by promoting better infrastructure projects and increasing access to financial products such as insurance. Currently, just 5% of Mexicans have building insurance, while more than half of the population has no access to any financial services at all.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

Britain has had a close relationship with Mexico ever since the UK became the first European country to recognise its independence almost two centuries ago. The relationship has endured to this day, and our two countries continue to strengthen links in areas as diverse as trade, security, culture, education and tourism.

This new funding will give a significant boost to Mexico’s economic development and reform, which is good news for the UK. Mexico is already implementing an ambitious package of economic reforms, including opening up the energy and telecom sectors. Helping Mexico to build stable, well-regulated markets and reduce barriers to trade will create more opportunities for British companies.

Our trade with Mexico stood at more than £3.6 billion in 2015, but the potential is much greater. This programme is the first step in unlocking that potential, to the benefit of both Mexico and the UK.

Notes to Editors

The UK’s work in Mexico

  • In 2016 the UK supported local authorities to introduce cost-effective ways to encourage people to use alternative transport to improve urban mobility in Mexican cities. The success of this work led the Mexican government to allocate 15% of its Metropolitan Fund for sustainable mobility, which in turn lead to increased opportunities for British companies.

  • The UK helped Mexico to adopt new financial mechanisms by supporting the design of Mexico’s Green Bonds market from 2014 to 2017. We also assisted in the creation of a new Advisory Council which helped create a new multi-billion dollar market for Green Bonds, and supported the creation of the Mexican carbon platform to trade emissions with other markets.

  • In 2015 we helped develop a Community Policing model to increase trust in Mexico’s police forces, an initiative that was publicly welcomed by President Pena Nieto. A strengthened business environment is good for UK business.

  • Figures from the Mexican Association of Insurance Agents suggest that just 5% of the Mexican population has buildings insurance, only 15% have life insurance, and more than 50% of the population have no access to any financial services product.

The Guest of Government visit

  • The talks form part of a Guest of Government visit by the Foreign Minister on 17-19 October, during which he is also meeting the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary of State for International Trade, HRH The Duke of York and The Lord Mayor of The City of London.

  • The Foreign Ministers are also expected to discuss a range of other issues, including the two country’s shared positions on Venezuela and North Korea, and how they can work together to tackle climate change and the illegal wildlife trade.

  • They will also discuss how the UK and Mexico can further strengthen economic ties, including through high level economic talks that are due to take place in Mexico City in 2018.

  • Foreign Minister Videgaray’s visit follows successful visits to Mexico by the then Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in May 2016 and Secretary of State for International Trade in July 2017, and a visit to the UK by the Mexican Minister of Economy in April 2017.

Further information

Media enquiries

For journalists

Link: Press release: Boris Johnson announces new prosperity programming for Mexico
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Timetable outlined for £300 million A47 improvements

Highways England will dual three parts of the 115 mile stretch of the A47 between Peterborough and Great Yarmouth, and improve several junctions and roundabouts, with work starting as early as 2018. Work on the first of the improvements – a junction upgrade at Great Yarmouth will now start next year, up to 18 months sooner than expected.

Preferred routes for each of the A47 upgrades were announced in August following public consultations earlier in the year. Until now, the date given for all of the schemes was between 2020 and 2021; today’s timetable spaces them out more evenly to ensure that there will not be too many sets of roadworks happening at the same time.

The details are in Highways England’s supplementary delivery plan, which has been published today and includes an update on how Highways England is delivering the Government’s £15bn road investment across the country, which includes a £1.5 billion project already underway to create a new 21-mile A14 link road between Cambridge and Huntingdon.

Jim O’Sullivan, Highways England Chief Executive said:

Our update today is a sensible and responsible way to deliver major national investment in road infrastructure. It will keep our roads moving, deliver a lasting legacy for the country and ensure best value for money for the taxpayer.

Work to improve the A47 includes dualling the A47 between North Tuddenham and Easton, further east between Blofield and North Burlingham, along with junction improvements at the Thickthorn Interchange with the A11 plus two busy junctions in Great Yarmouth, on what was formerly the A12. Further west at Peterborough, the work involves dualling a busy stretch between Wansford (A1) and Sutton, and improving the Guyhirn junction with the A141 .

The improvements to the junctions at Great Yarmouth have now been brought forward, and will be completed between 2018 and 2019, while a package of safety improvements on the Acle Straight have already been completed.

Meanwhile the A47 works to improve the A11 Thickthorn junction and the Guyhirn junctions will start between 2020 and 2021. Work to dual the A47 between Wansford and Sutton will also start around that time. Dualling the A47 between Blofield and North Burlingham and from North Tuddenham to Easton, will start between 2021 and 2022.

The supplementary delivery plan also includes updated timings for widening the A12 between Chelmsford and the A120 – now scheduled to begin later in the 2020-21 financial year. All are still set for delivery as part of the Government’s first road investment strategy. Two technology upgrades – on the A12 and M11 – require further development to show value for money and have been paused for consideration in a future Road Investment period.

Six consultations into the £300 million A47 upgrades were held between 13 March and 21 April this year. In total, 1,447 people had their say, with 1,333 attending the 19 public events. The six projects are all part of the Government’s record £15 billion investment in England’s motorways and major A roads, with £3 billion of that being invested in the East of England.

A47 North Tuddenham and Easton

Option 2 was chosen for the dualling between North Tuddenham and Easton, which will see the A47 upgraded to dual carriageway along its existing route, with the alignment been amended to address some of the key concerns raised.

A47 Blofield to North Burlingham

For the Blofield to North Burlingham dualling, option 4 was selected which will see a new stretch of dual carriageway built a little to the south of the existing A47.

A47 Thickthorn Interchange with A11

The consultation was about a single option for the junction improvements, which will now see delivered a direct link from the A11 northbound to the A47 eastbound, and similarly from the A47 westbound to the A11 southbound, alleviating congestion at the roundabout.

A47 Great Yarmouth junctions (formerly A12)

At Great Yarmouth, the Vauxhall roundabout will be enlarged and fully signalled, and get an extended bridge and a new slip road. There will also be minor improvements at the Station Approach junction, while the Gapton roundabout will be significantly improved as it is widened and fully signalled too.

A47 Wansford to Sutton

Option 2 was chosen for dualling the A47 between the A1 junction at Wansford and the dual carriageway section west of Peterborough. This will include building a new dual carriageway to the north, at the western end, and to the south, at the eastern end. There will also be a dedicated slip road from the A1 southbound to the A47 eastbound to alleviate congestion at the junction. Since the consultation, the alignment has been amended to address some of the key concerns raised.

A47 Guyhirn

The single option proposed for the Guyhirn junction will see the roundabout enlarged and the road over the River Nene Bridge widened to three lanes to ease congestion.

For more information about our plans, visit the scheme website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Link: Press release: Timetable outlined for £300 million A47 improvements
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Winners of £51 million government competition to develop world-leading self-driving car testing infrastructure unveiled

  • the 4 projects will test the speed, safety and potential opportunities for delivering CAV innovation, helping ensure the UK remains world-leading
  • 4 consortia have been selected in this first round, led by HORIBA MIRA, Millbrook Proving Ground, TRL and the Warwick Manufacturing Group

Four projects across 5 locations in the West Midlands have today (19 October) been awarded a total of £51 million in funding for creating the environments needed to fully test CAV technology.

  • HORIBA MIRA in Nuneaton will build a new site alongside its existing vehicle test tracks where automated vehicles can be tested at the limits of their speed and handling to ensure they are safe
  • Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire and Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE) based in the Culham Science Centre in Oxfordshire will set up a range of different test areas mimicking increasingly realistic city driving environments, where automated vehicles can be tested before being taken onto public roads
  • 2 projects will adapt real world locations for testing of automated vehicles in live traffic:
    • TRL will lead a project to set up live test environments in Greenwich and Stratford’s Olympic Park in London
    • Warwick Manufacturing Group will set up real world test environments in Coventry and Birmingham

Reflecting the UK’s ability to compete globally in this hotly contested sector, Jim Hackett, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ford Motor Company, opened Ford Europe’s Smart Mobility Innovation Office at the Olympic Park in Stratford yesterday. It will initially host 40 specialists brought together to develop smart mobility technologies for cities.

All the CAV projects announced today will be fully operational and advancing technology development in this sector within the next 18 to 24 months.

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said:

Combining ambitious new technologies and innovative business models to address social and economic challenges lies at the heart of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy. Accelerating connected and autonomous vehicle technology development is central to achieving this ambition and will help to ensure the UK is one of the world’s go-to locations to develop this sector.

These projects, backed by government, form part of a globally unique cluster running from our automotive heartlands in the West Midlands, down through our innovation centres in Oxfordshire and Milton Keynes, through to London, Europe’s only megacity.

To achieve this, government and industry are working together to create the world’s most effective CAV testing ecosystem, integrating existing proving grounds and public road test sites across the UK’s existing automotive sector, strengthening existing capabilities and creating new ones.

This new ecosystem will be co-ordinated through MERIDIAN, a new government-backed and industry-led hub to develop CAV technology in the UK.

The MERIDIAN programme lays the foundation for a truly unique, world class, future transport technology testing ecosystem in which automotive and digital sectors can compete globally, and emerging businesses have unprecedented access to facilities.

Chair of the Auto Council Technology Group, Graham Hoare said:

Currently no other country has taken this innovative leveraged national approach and this can be a major differentiator on the global stage. This will be a globally unique set of capabilities that is co-ordinated and developed to provide a solution to industry that will enhance delivery efficiency, collaboration and knowledge growth.

Launch Director of MERIDIAN, Jim Campbell said:

As connected and autonomous vehicle technology becomes more complex, ensuring that the UK automotive industry has world-leading facilities to test and refine concepts is of imperative importance. Today’s announcement from government is a strong first step to ensure the UK achieves its ambition of becoming a global hub of CAV development in the coming years.

The MERIDIAN will offer world class CAV testing and development in the UK which allows us to accelerate research, development and adoption of these vehicles.

Director of Manufacturing and Materials at Innovate UK, Simon Edmonds, said:

This first wave of testbed infrastructure investment is crucial at establishing a UK cluster of excellence to test and develop autonomous vehicle technology. This is another good example of how the UK is leading the way on this exciting agenda, and how UK companies can take advantage of the massive opportunities it presents.

This important investment, as part of the government’s modern Industrial Strategy, will further boost the UK’s opportunity to secure a share of the global connected and autonomous vehicles market that is expected to be worth up to £51 billion by 2020.

Automotive and technology companies will be able to accelerate their research programmes in real-life environments in UK cities, along with specially designed virtual and controlled test environments.

As well as securing high quality jobs for the future, it will unlock significant social benefits such as improving safety and provide better mobility access for the young, the elderly, and the disabled.

Yesterday the government introduced the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill as part of plans to boost the green transport revolution. The Bill will increase the access and availability of chargepoints for electric cars, while also giving the government powers to make it compulsory for chargepoints to be installed across the country and enabling drivers of automated cars to be insured on UK roads.

Notes to editors

1) The projects are the first to be funded from the government’s £100 million Connected and Autonomous Vehicles testing infrastructure programme announced in November 2016 and will be matched by industry.

2) The £51 million funding will be allocated across the UK: £31 million in the West Midlands, £7 million in Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire, and £13 million in London.

3) The winning CAV projects are:

Project title Location Public funding Total project value* Consortium partners
Smart Mobility Living Lab: London Greenwich and Stratford (Olympic Park) £13.4m £19.2m TRL (leader), Digital Greenwich, London Legacy Development Corporation, Cisco, Costain, Cubic, TfL, Loughborough University (London campus), and delivery partners, Millbrook and 5G Innovation Centre (University of Surrey)
UK Central CAV Testbed Coventry and Birmingham £17.6m £25.3m Warwick Manufacturing Group (leader), Amey, AVL, Costain, Coventry University, Horiba Mira, Transport for West Midlands, Wireless Infrastructure Group
MCTEE (Millbrook-Culham Test and Evaluation Environment) Millbrook (near Milton Keynes) and Culham (near Oxford) £6.9m £10m Millbrook Proving Ground (leader) and UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE, at Culham Science Centre)
TIC-IT (Trusted Intelligent CAVs) Nuneaton £13m £26m HORIBA MIRA (leader) and Coventry University

* Full 50% industry match will be met through operation and maintenance of the project facilities.

4) Since the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles was created in 2015 the government has awarded more than £100 million to 51 projects researching and developing connected and autonomous technology advancement.

These projects are all collaborative, involving more than 150 individual organisations from SMEs to global companies. 51 of these projects include a number of high profile trials to understand how members of the public will interact with the vehicles. These include:

  • the GATEWAY consortia which will run four autonomous shuttles around the Greenwich peninsula in November this year (2017) for the public to use
  • the UK AUTODRIVE consortia which will operate up to 40 autonomous pods in Milton Keynes in 2018
  • the VENTURER consortia which has been undertaking a series of increasingly complex trials in the Bristol area
  • a third collaborative research and development competition, now open with £25 million of funding available to the winning projects, the competition closes on 25 October

Link: Press release: Winners of £51 million government competition to develop world-leading self-driving car testing infrastructure unveiled
Source: Gov Press Releases

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Press release: Reforms to boost UK’s digital infrastructure

Reforms made today to outdated legislation will reduce the costs of housing phone masts and other communications infrastructure on private land. This opens the way for faster and more reliable broadband and mobile services, particularly in rural areas.

Changes to the UK’s Electronic Communications Code will:

  • bring down the rents telecoms operators pay to landowners to install equipment to be more in line with utilities
  • providers, such as gas and water;
  • make it easier for operators to upgrade and share their equipment with other operators to help increase coverage;
  • make it easier for telecoms operators and landowners to resolve legal disputes.

Matt Hancock, Minister of State for Digital, said:

It’s not good enough that many people are struggling with poor mobile and broadband connections which is why we are improving coverage across the UK.

We want everyone to benefit from the growth of digital services. Removing these outdated restrictions will help promote investment in new technologies such as 5G, and give mobile operators more freedom to improve their networks in hard-to-reach places.

By the end of the year all mobile operators are required to deliver coverage to 90 per cent of the UK and 95 per cent of all homes and businesses will be able to get superfast broadband, but more needs to be done.

These reforms will help to drive investment and stimulate the continued growth, rollout and maintenance of communication technology infrastructure, an increasingly significant area of the UK’s economy.

Hamish MacLeod, Director of Mobile UK said:

The Electronic Communications Code is an important piece of the puzzle alongside further planning reform that will help mobile operators to overcome the challenges they face with expanding their networks, while also developing innovative services for customers.

Good mobile connectivity is no longer an optional extra. It is essential infrastructure as core to modern economic activity as broadband, electricity and other essential services.

Mark Talbot FRICS, Chair of the Royal Institute of Chartered (RICS) Surveyors Telecoms Forum Board, said:

RICS recognises the critical role that a modern, efficient and equitable digital infrastructure has on the future development of the UK economy. RICS has worked closely with our colleagues in DCMS to ensure that the new Code enables investment in our national digital infrastructure whilst balancing the needs of the public and private property owners.

With high speed internet seen by many as the fourth utility service the public and businesses expect access to digital services when they want and as they want, and RICS believes that the reformed Code is a great step forward towards this ultimate goal.

The old Electronic Communications Code was originally enacted in 1984, and became out-of-date as technology evolved, making it difficult for landowners and network operators to reach agreements and resolve disputes when rolling out modern digital infrastructure.

The Government reformed the Code through the Digital Economy Act, which received Royal Assent in April. The supporting regulations laid in Parliament today will bring the new Code into force, which is expected to take effect in December 2017.

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

  • The Government has today laid draft regulations in Parliament needed to commence reform of the Electronic Communications Code. The changes will help ensure network providers achieve the coverage and connectivity targets set by government to reach the hardest-to-reach places in the UK.
  • The Electronic Communications Code (the Code) is the legislative framework that enables electronic communications network providers to construct electronic communications networks.
    The Code was reviewed by the Law Commission in 2012 which recommended reform, and the Government has carried out extensive consultation with all stakeholders before bringing forward the amendments to the legislation.
  • For further information on reform of the Electronic Communications Code:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-publishes-proposals-for-a-new-electronic-communications-code
    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/digital-economy-bill-2016

Link: Press release: Reforms to boost UK’s digital infrastructure
Source: Gov Press Releases