5 Blue-Sky Infrstructure Projects to Change Britain

Salia Mogensen 18/09/2013

We've put together a high level update of the BBC's five blue -sky ideas for infrastructure projects that could change life in Britain.

Ireland Tunnel

What: A sub-sea tunnel or bridge or a combination of both between Britain and Ireland.
Benefits: It will boost trade, tourism and movement between the two countries. Ireland gets a route through to the rest of Europe.
Costs: Over £3.5bn for a bridge. It's a lot more for a tunnel (the Channel Tunnel cost around £12bn by the time it was completed in 1994).
Proponents: Irish Academy of Engineers, proposed it back in 2004. Businesses, Chambers of Commerce of Ireland and think- tank Centre for Cross Border Studies.
Current status: The IAE proposal was part of their 2050 visioning exercise for transport in Ireland, exploring what could be. The Irish Islamic Chamber of Commerce (IICC), last year, mooted the possibility of the government using Islamic Bonds to finance a tunnel under the Irish Sea.

What: An elevated network of cycle routes in London.
Benefits: Safer cycling, will ease congestion, reduce carbon emission and reduce commuter times.
Costs: £200m for a 6.5km route
Proponents: Exterior Architects and Foster & Partners have collaborated on the project.Opponents: The cycling charity, Sustrans, is concerned it will divert funding away from existing cycling expenditure.
Current status: There's no mention of it in the Mayor's Vision for Cycling in London, published in March 2013. Exterior is promoting the project on the crowdfunding platform, Spacehive, and are lobbying the public to get behind the scheme.

What: High speed rail link between transpennine east and west coast route.
Benefits: Better connectivity between the Northern cities will help boost their economies.
Costs: £1bn+
Proponents: Northern man/woman on street
Current status: Network rail currently electrifying part of the transpennine route around Manchester to support their strategy for Northern Hub upgrades. Investment in speeding up the route is not in their forseeable plans. Another factor to consider here is the outcome of HS2 debate, which will impact rail investment priorities.

What: Building a dam across the Severn estuary to generate renewal energy using tidal power.
Benefits: It could generate up to 5% of UK's electricity. It's safer than nuclear power stations.
Costs: £15bn – £30bn
Proponents: Hafren Power has put forward their scheme proposals for the barrage to government. Various leading engineering firms who have been developing technical solutions for the. Peter Hain MP, barrage.
Opponents: The Coalition government, the Energy and Climate Change Committee the Public Accounts Committee, Environmentalists and Bristol Port Company.
Current status: The Hafren Power scheme was savaged by the Energy and Climate Change Committee in their June 2013 report saying there was "no strategic case" for the scheme. This week the Hafren Power proposal was ruled out by government, because it "does not demonstrate that it could deliver the benefits it claims it would achieve.

What: A bridge or tunnel over the Lower Thames
Benefits: Will ease chronic congestion and tailbacks in east London and will provide key transport links for new housing developments.
Costs: £1bn – £3bn, could possibly be funded through tolling.
Proponents: It has the unanimous support of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership which includes local authority and business organisations from across Essex, Kent and the East Sussex coast.
Opponents: Sustrans disappointed that a road proposal is being considered and no other options. Depending on the preferred location of the site, residents and local parish councils worried are about the impact of traffic growth.
Current status: The government is currently reviewing the results of their public consultation on the options for the crossing. The government committed to doing this in the National Infrastructure Plan 2011, and will announce their decision on location in autumn 2013.