The challenge of Infrastructure…

In 1948, just 3 years after the end of World War 2, the NHS was born. At a time of deep financial uncertainty. In 2020, another time of deep uncertainty, the NHS has led the way. Just like in 1948 a dramatic change in direction is possible post Covid19. Health service reforms need to happen, education as well, but suddenly the pressing need is our economy and infrastructure to support future growth.

At the end of May our Alliance council group in Lisburn Castlereagh received an economic Covid19 briefing, by Richard Johnston, an Economist from the University of Ulster. During that meeting what struck me wasn’t the sudden levels of economic downturn and the numbers moving onto Universal Credit (that’s pretty obvious when the government closes down an economy during a pandemic)- in fact what struck me was the poor PMI rate, the economic growth rate of Northern Ireland. The figures shown were from 1998. The rate of economic growth here post GFA is pretty pathetic. There are many reasons why. There are also many excuses as to why.

But the facts can’t be denied. So how do we improve our area? How do we attract major capital investment, as we have seen south of the border? How do we begin to bring the northern economy in line with the sustained growth the Republic have seen? How do we attract major technology companies? How can we raise the average salary and personal wealth in the North to line up with the South?

Infrastructure

To encourage capital investment from leading international companies, they need access to markets and favourable tax rates. But equally, maybe more importantly, they need highly qualified, skilled and motivated employees who are easily accessible. We need to think island-wide, being connected to European and UK markets.

High-speed internet connections, available to everyone are essential to connect companies and enable employees working from home. A structural 5G network rolled out is essential to our growth, as is the ability to move people and goods quickly.

What if we had a Japanese style bullet train that moved people quickly, efficiently and in an environmentally friendly way around this island? Where you could work in a technology park in the Lagan Valley area, live in Dublin and be here in under 35/40 minutes. Or visa-versa. Live in Cork or Limerick and commute quickly into Dublin. Where Derry, in the north-west is actually connected by motorway and also a high-speed train. Where residents from anywhere on the Island could be in Dublin or Belfast within an hour.

This would help open the potential to attract world-leading companies north, and provide them with the opportunity to attract the best employees and talent from anywhere on the island, and equally open up jobs opportunities for our residents. Creating employment opportunities for a highly skilled workforce – from anywhere. Connecting businesses and supply chains. Brexit changes could open up a new world to us, with access to both the UK and EU markets, boosted by a new 5G network rollout.

Stickman

The bullet train isn’t an upgrade of our current train network but additional to it. Like the bone skeleton of the island, linking Derry, Belfast, Limerick, Dublin, Cork, Wexford etc. Draw an outline map of the island of Ireland, and draw a stickman inside it and you get the basic picture.

Circle Line

In addition to that, our current local train and bus networks would be upgraded. Upgrading current lines to link suburban areas faster and reimagined. Reopening the Ballinderry line outside Belfast and creating a Circle Line in and out of Belfast, linking the International Airport. In Dublin: linking Dublin Airport via a high-speed train line. Interconnecting the Bullet train with urbanised cities. Moving people quickly and easily and cost-effectively. Changing habits and moving people from using the car to working from home with high-speed internet connections and using a world-class public transport system.

All of sudden, you don’t have such a large Dublin housing crisis, as you wouldn’t have to live in and around Dublin to work there, living within 100miles radius and you could be there in 40 minutes and that becomes the commuter belt. All of a sudden our current motorways could start moving again, by reducing the number of cars on the road at peak times. Building large park-and ride carparks for connecting rural areas with the suburban transport network and Bullet Train stations. Reducing emissions. Cleaning the air that we breathe.

The population on the island, over time, could start to be more evenly spread, as could financial wealth.

All of a sudden you start to put in an infrastructure system capable of delivering the type of green economy and growth which the north craves and which is essential. With Brexit looming, an economy, island-wide, where highly skilled jobs are available and can be created anywhere. A transformation in the northern economy, not unlike the industrial revolution centuries ago.

In my Council area, a large technology park strategically located at the M1 /A1 junction at Blaris on a new link road would start to remove the M1 morning carpark into Belfast. The canvas to produce highly skilled jobs, within a large technology /industrial zone, that is linked by road, rail, and cycle. Quick access to ports and airports.

With the ECB and the UK treasury likely to be opening up eye-watering amount of potential cheap finance to ignite our economies, is now not the time to start actioning the dream? Build an island-wide infrastructure program that would rival any engineering project and transport system on the planet. Is now not the time to breath life into areas across this island outside of Dublin and reinvent our economy in the north?

Change brings hope. Right now we could do with a lot of hope.

David Honeyford is an Alliance Party Councillor at Lisburn Castlereagh City Council. You can follow him on Twitter…

Photo by Shutterbug75 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

Soapbox

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