What does the UK's 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy Mean for the East of England?

The government has this week released its 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy for the UK. This sets out a vision to modernise the country’s transport, energy, digital, and social infrastructure through to 2035. Infrastructure is vital to economic growth and the strategy is an urgent response to the dire need to improve the decline in major infrastructure that has held back productivity for decades.

For regions like the East of England, this strategy is both a promise and a provocation—a recognition of our potential, but also a test of whether Westminster is truly ready to back local growth with real investment.

The strategy highlights three pillars: net zero and resilience, levelling-up through infrastructure, and system reform. On paper, it's a bold agenda. But for residents and businesses from Norwich to Ipswich, Lowestoft to Peterborough, the real question is: how will this strategy land here?

Transport: Vital but Still Lagging

The strategy pledges to modernise and decarbonise the UK’s transport network. But while projects like HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail grab headlines, the East of England risks being left behind.

Our region urgently needs:

• Rail upgrades to Ely and Haughley Junctions

• Improved capacity and reliability on the Great Eastern Main Line

• Resilient rural transport options for Fenland and coastal towns

These are not vanity projects. They’re essential if the government truly wants to support the Cambridge-Norwich-Ipswich growth triangle and open up employment opportunities beyond urban cores.

Energy & Net Zero: A Regional Opportunity

The strategy rightly emphasises the transition to clean energy—and here, the East of England is ready to lead. With Sizewell C, offshore wind hubs in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, and the UK’s highest solar irradiance, we are a clean energy engine in waiting.

But there's a catch: our grid infrastructure is aging and underpowered. Developers face connection delays of up to a decade. Without upgrades to the transmission network and local substations, the green revolution could stall at the plug.

What we need is targeted investment in grid modernisation, smart energy hubs, and training pipelines to ensure local people benefit from clean growth.

Digital and Water Infrastructure: The Hidden Essentials

While the strategy addresses the need for full-fibre broadband and 5G, digital inequality remains acute in rural Norfolk and Suffolk. This is about more than Netflix speeds—it’s about access to healthcare, education, and jobs in a digital economy.

Equally pressing is the region’s water infrastructure. Climate change and rapid growth have made water scarcity a real threat, particularly in Cambridgeshire. The government’s strategy nods to resilience—but fails to provide a roadmap for integrated water management that aligns with land use and housing targets.

Reforming How We Deliver

Perhaps the most radical part of the strategy is the push for reform. The plan proposes longer-term funding settlements, devolution of infrastructure decisions, and better alignment across agencies. If delivered, this could transform how infrastructure works locally.

The East of England stands to benefit—if:

• Mayoral Combined Authorities are extended and empowered to lead regional infrastructure pipelines

• The strategy is backed by capital, not just consultations.

A Region Ready for More

The East of England is not asking for favours—it is offering solutions. We are a net contributor to the economy, a clean energy hub, and a testbed for rural innovation. What we need is the infrastructure to match.

If the UK’s 10-year plan is to succeed, it must speak to all regions. That means backing shovel-ready projects here, in the East, with the same urgency seen elsewhere.

We are ready. Westminster, are you?