Street Works UK ‘The Road to Economic Growth – How street works are delivering for the UK’

Street Works UK has published its latest report, The Road to Economic Growth – How Street Works Are Delivering for the UK, showcasing the crucial role the street works sector plays in supporting the UK economy and how the sector is working to achieve the Government’s ambitious targets across housing, net zero and economic productivity.

Download here: Street Works UK The Road to Economic Growth Report

The report comes at a time where the UK is at a key inflection point. The Government has set bold ambitions to boost economic growth, including major investments in infrastructure, accelerating the transition to net zero, improving connectivity, and building more homes.

Developed in collaboration with Street Works UK members, the report outlines how the sector is already delivering vital upgrades and services across electricity, gas, water, and telecoms. It also sets out a roadmap for how closer collaboration between Government, local authorities, and industry can unlock long-term economic growth and accelerate delivery.

The report sets out a series of practical recommendations designed to reduce delays, lower costs, and strengthen the sector’s ability to deliver essential infrastructure projects at scale. It details how increased costs or bureaucracy will put undue pressure on utility companies – hindering growth, putting workers at risk, and ultimately leading to more costly bills.

Recommendations

• Lane rental: Currently, there is too much variation across the country in how Lane Rental is applied, which leads to confusion and sometimes punitive fees which raise costs for utilities and hinder their ability to invest and deliver works. Lane Rental Schemes need to be designed and implemented in a way that does not disproportionately impact utility companies. There must be a consistent approach in terms of charges and application. Consistency and collaboration are key.
• Flexi Permits: Under trial, a small number of Flexi Permits were issued in 2024. However, we want to see them used more frequently. We want the Government to accelerate the roll out of flexi-permits to ensure that new infrastructure developments and upgrades to the existing network can be delivered quickly and efficiently.
• Cohesive regulation: We want the Department for Transport to issue clearer guidance for FPNs for street works to prevent unnecessary penalties. Without improved guidance, increased FPNs will raise costs for utility companies and consumers and hinder the ability of utility companies to invest in and deliver infrastructure improvements, without significantly improving compliance. A lack of consistency could potentially undermine government objectives around network investment and economic growth. A uniform approach to TTROs across authorities will also help ease the administrative burden on utility companies.
• NUAR: The Government needs to consult much more closely with the industry before mandating NUAR use across the street works sector. Failure to address concerns from industry could increase the risk of utility strikes, endangering workers and the public.
• Guarantee period: The current two-year guarantee period should be maintained to minimise protracted legal challenges and costs, ensuring that utility companies can focus on the delivery of infrastructure which is vital for economic growth.

Please share the report among your networks to help us drive the conversation.