Posts tagged ‘Infrastructure’
Infrastructure: Priorities for 2011-2015
Monday, October 10th, 2011Three years after ISNI2 was published, agendaNi examines the key infrastructure projects likely to be taken forward by the current Executive. An updated Infrastructure Strategy for Northern Ireland (ISNI3) has been drafted and approved by ministerial special advisers. However, until the Programme for Government is released it is unclear which infrastructure projects will get the green light. ISNI2 was released in 2008 and outlined infrastructure spending from 2008 to 2018. ISNI3 is required because of the economic downturn and budget cuts and will cover infrastructure spending over the...[full story]
Infrastructure: Cost-effective delivery
Monday, October 10th, 2011The Irish Academy of Engineering has proposed how to achieved more value for money in infrastructural investment. ‘The Cost-Effective Delivery of Essential Infrastructure’ was published in June by a taskforce of engineers from across Ireland, organised by the Irish Academy of Engineering. It follows on from the report on infrastructure for an island population of 8 million (estimated for 2030), published by the academy and Engineers Ireland in 2030. Despite the “extreme pressures” on public finances (north and south), “sustained investment” in critical infrastructure is needed...[full story]
Infrastructure: Transforming Lisanelly
Monday, October 10th, 2011An overview of Northern Ireland’s largest school building project. Supporters of the Lisanelly shared educational campus see it as a ‘swords to ploughshares’ project and a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity for Omagh. The rationale for the £100 million scheme is based on the need to replace or substantially renovate schools in the town, its relatively good community relations, and the availability of the former military base. That area has been vacant since 2007 and was gifted to the Executive through last year’s Hillsborough Castle Agreement. The total site is 139 acres: 118 at...[full story]
Infrastructure: NI Water investigations
Friday, January 28th, 2011agendaNi reviews a tumultuous year for Northern Ireland Water which faces two investigations into the water crisis and a third into its procurement procedures. Northern Ireland Water (NIW), which refers to itself on its website as the “trusted and reliable provider of Northern Ireland’s most essential public service” is currently facing an inquiry by the Utility Regulator following the crisis which left 60,000 homes with little or no water over Christmas and the New Year. Simultaneously, the Department for Regional Development is undergoing an inquiry by two independent investigators...[full story]
Infrastructure: Infrastructure overview
Monday, December 6th, 2010The key numbers on Northern Ireland’s capital funding as the Investment Strategy is reviewed. Over £3.3 billion investment has been delivered since the start of the Investment Strategy, according to figures from the Strategic Investment Board. The strategy’s final outturn for 2008-2009 and provisional outturn for 2009-2010 add up to £3,318,575 million. The target for 2008-2011 was £5,940 million, although the end result is likely to be lower due to reduced capital receipts. Capital investment, under ISNI2, has accompanied devolution so far and presented the Executive with tangible...[full story]
Infrastructure: Health priorities
Monday, December 6th, 2010Progress is evident on priority projects, but future capital spending depends on the forthcoming Budget. The Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland, which predicted that £2,575 million would be available for health infrastructure from 2011 to 2018 “has now been superseded by the new budget which is currently being finalised,” a health department spokesman told agendaNi. Since the release of ISNI in 2008, the DHSSPS has been the only department that has not released a delivery plan. Because of the current financial situation “it would be meaningless to provide details of what...[full story]
Infrastructure: Investing in education
Monday, December 6th, 2010New facilities for learning have gone ahead at colleges, universities and libraries but progress has been held up by reduced capital receipts. Detailed information for schools was unavailable. The Investment Strategy’s skills pillar covers education in its widest sense, broken down into three funding categories: • Schools and youth services (from the Department of Education); • Further and higher education (from the Department for Employment and Learning); and • Libraries (from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure). Post-primary schools were to receive 77.4 per cent of...[full story]
Infrastructure: Many firsts – Mark Ennis
Monday, December 6th, 2010SSE Ireland’s Chairman, Mark Ennis, talks to Owen McQuade about the development of Airtricity from Iocal wind developer to a “full-blown” Irish energy utility. Airtricity has had many firsts in the energy sector. The company started in 1997 with the formation of Future Wind partnership, by Dr Eddie O’Connor “a true visionary”. As the name suggests, its purpose was to develop wind energy projects through partnerships. The partnerships approach, often in the form of joint ventures, has been the company’s way of doing business throughout its growth period. Ennis explains that...[full story]
Infrastructure: Transport update
Monday, December 6th, 2010agendaNi assesses how transport investment has progressed so far. Transport is one of the main drivers of economic development and falls into the Investment Strategy’s network pillar which is in turn subdivided into five categories: roads, public transport, gateways, telecommunications and energy. Some 75 per cent of the overall transport sum for 2008-2011 is for roads, with just under a quarter available for public transport and the small remainder for ports and airports (gateways). During 2008-2011 a budget of £611.8 million was allocated for improving roads in Northern Ireland....[full story]
Infrastructure: Room for Improvement – Wendy Blundell
Monday, December 6th, 2010Northern Ireland’s infrastructure is “at a tipping point”, according to the Institution of Civil Engineers’ state of the nation briefing. agendaNi talks to Regional Director Wendy Blundell about its findings. Each year, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) produces state of the nation overviews of infrastructure at UK and devolved nation levels. For 2010, the institution finds that the UK is “at a cross roads” as productivity growth has been held back by under-investment in infrastructure. Indeed, Northern Ireland is at a similar “tipping point”, the marked exception...[full story]
