In today’s podcast takes a close inspection of the UK’s ever-deteriorating local roads condition.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the ALARM survey – the Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey – which for three decades has been the crucial benchmark for assessing the state of local roads across England and Wales.

Commissioned by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), the report was published last week and provides an invaluable snapshot of road conditions, funding levels, and the growing maintenance backlog across the UK’s local roads network.

And once again the 2025 findings, based on real feedback from real local authorities, paint a stark picture: local roads remain in decline, with 34,600 miles in poor condition and the cost to clear the repair backlog reaching an all-time high of £16.81 billion.

And while of course some might argue that “they would say that wouldn’t they!” the reality is that, despite the UK government’s pledge to fix one million potholes per year, we are still very far short of the long-term, sustained investment needed to tackle deep-rooted structural issues.

Because local roads are a vital economic asset - valued at over £400 billion. And just 1% of this value is allocated for annual maintenance. A shockingly poor stat given how much we all rely on these assets.

So what to do? Well my guest today might know! David Giles is Chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance and a director of Continental Bitumen UK – someone who is ideally placed to explore the key findings, the barriers to progress, and of course, the actions needed to ensure a safer, more resilient local road network for the future.

His latest report calls for a radical shift in approach: multi-year funding, ring-fenced investment, and a long-term commitment to repairs – something similar perhaps to the current approach to the strategic road network.

So is that possible? Well let’s find out.

Resources

• AIA Alarm Survey 2025
• AIA website
• Colas website
• David Giles Linked In
• Government pothole repair pledge
• Government statement on local road conditions
• National Highways RIS2

In today’s podcast we return to the vitally important, hugely complicated and normally highly emotive subject of planning reform.

And help is (potentially) at hand in the form of the long awaited Planning and Infrastructure Bill which was published last week and heralded by government as providing “transformative reforms to get Britain building, tackle blockers and unleash billions in economic growth”.

So who better to bring back to the Infrastructure Podcast to explain and chew over this potential new dawn of planning than Robbie Owen, infrastructure planning guru and Partner at law firm Pinsent Masons.

The UK’s planning system has long been a battleground between the need for economic growth and the challenges of bureaucracy, local opposition, and environmental concerns. As the government pushes forward with ambitious targets—building 1.5 million homes, upgrading transport networks, and accelerating clean energy projects—the speed at which infrastructure is planned and delivered has never been more critical.

Yet, delays remain a persistent problem. As we know, major projects can take years to navigate the approvals process, with judicial reviews and lengthy consultations slowing progress.

The proposed legislation includes changes to infrastructure planning, environmental impact assessments, and compulsory purchase powers … and, as discussed on the podcast before Christmas, limits on the role of Judicial Reviews.

But will these changes truly unlock growth, or are deeper structural issues being overlooked? And how can the planning system ensure that infrastructure projects not only proceed faster but also deliver better outcomes for communities and the environment?

Resources

• The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
• The Banner Review
• National Infrastructure Planning Association
• National Infrastructure Commission
• Pinsent Masons
• About NISTA
• Podcast with Robbie Owen and the Hansard Society on Parliament's planning role.
• Episode 93 of The Infrastructure Podcast with Robbie Owen on the Banner Review

In today’s podcast we take a deep dive into embodied carbon and try to get a better understanding of why infrastructure professionals need to make its assessment more than just a nice add on but a fundamental part of the design process.

The construction and infrastructure sectors are undergoing a major transformation as the industry seeks to reduce its carbon footprint and meet global net-zero targets. While operational carbon—emissions from heating, cooling, and electricity use—has traditionally been the focus of sustainability efforts, embodied carbon - emissions that are locked in at the point of construction and cannot be reduced over time - is now taking centre stage.

To discuss this issue, my guest today is Adrian Campbell, founder of the Change Building consultancy and someone that I like to describe as an industry sustainability guru and my go-to expert when it comes to reducing carbon across the infrastructure lifecycle.

Full disclosure; I have known Adrian since we studied Civil Engineering together at the University of Southampton back in the 1980s. Well, he did the studying as I remember!

Adrian has made a return to the University of Southampton as a tutor and lecturer and as Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor in Sustainable Development and Climate Impact He has just produced a new guide to help students get to grips with assessing embodied carbon - a rapidly developing area of professional competence which should provide the skills and judgment to help improve designs and help move us towards the goal of net zero carbon.

For students entering the fields of architecture, engineering, and construction, embracing embodied carbon assessment is no longer optional—it is a vital skill for shaping a sustainable built environment.

As Adrian puts it, having an awareness of the reasons for its adoption (the ‘why’) and some experience of assessment (the ‘how’) is now expected as part of the role of the engineer.

However, this presents challenges: data inconsistencies, limited industry knowledge, and balancing carbon reductions with performance and cost make it a complex area to navigate. So let’s find out why students should engage with embodied carbon thinking early in their careers.

Resources

Adrian Campbell Linked in

Southampton University Embodied Carbon guide

Change Building website

University of Southampton website

Positive Collective

Royal Academy of Engineering

Institution of Structural Engineers - how to calculate embodied carbon