Last week’s announcement to bring forward £5 billion of capital investment projects is welcomed by ABG. As one of the UK’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of geosynthetics to the construction industry, ABG is committed to supporting the ‘Project Speed’ investment in infrastructure which includes:
- £1.5 billion this year for hospital maintenance
- £100 million this year for 29 road projects
- Over £1 billion to fund the first 50 projects of a new ten-year school rebuilding programme, starting from 2020-21
- £560 million and £200 million this year for repairs and upgrades to schools and FE colleges respectively
- £900 million for a range of ‘shovel ready’ local growth projects in England over the course of this year and next, as well as £96 million to accelerate investment in town centres and high streets through the Towns Fund.
To achieve the ambition, the industry must prioritise more sustainable and faster methods of project delivery.
ABG’s geocomposite products are locally manufactured and combined with the reduction in the thickness and volume of drainage layers they help to realise, drastically save the weight and the associated carbon footprint involved during installation and transportation
Using products manufactured off site also provides far greater drainage performance and reliability for earthworks consolidation, highways, rail and structural drainage applications compared to constructing traditional crushed stone drainage layers in-situ.
The ‘new deal’ package of investment also includes a £12 billion affordable homes programme supporting up to 180,000 new affordable homes over the next eight years and a £450 million boost for the Home Builders Fund to help smaller developers and support around 7,200 new homes.
Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) including blue roof, green roof and permeable paving solutions, are a core area of expertise where ABG can help to deliver flood resilient and more environmentally friendly surface water treatment designs for both residential and commercial development.