Recorded at the recent Transforming the North conference in Harrogate on the day of the Queens Speech, Northern Powerhouse Partnership director Henri Murison explains how businesses and communities in the North can collaborate to put together a coherent case for investment to deliver the new Strategic Plan for the North.

The Listening Pod is hosted by infrastructure journalist Antony Oliver on behalf of drainage specialist ACO and features a range of professionals in conversation on issues relevant to the sector.

To hear other industry topics check out the rest of the Listening Pod, which captures the real conversations going on amongst professionals working in the construction industry.

Henri Murison on why the Northern Powerhouse is already delivering for the North

Transport for the North chairman John Cridland was recorded at the recent Transforming the North conference in Harrogate, as he set out the regions plans for a comprehensive new evidence based Strategic Transport Plan. Sadly Cridland’s diary commitments meant he was unable to join the conference in person so sent his comments via video link.

The Listening Pod is hosted by infrastructure journalist Antony Oliver on behalf of drainage specialist ACO and features a range of professionals in conversation on issues relevant to the sector.

To hear other industry topics check out the rest of the Listening Pod, which captures the real conversations going on amongst professionals working in the construction industry.

John Cridland - an evidenced based transport strategy for the North

In this conversation, recorded at the recent Transforming the North conference in Harrogate, Atkins Transport for the North client lead Julie Hurley explains the role that the supply chain must play to help drive forward a coherent transport strategy for the north. Digital and information technology skills are crucial to ensure that the sector retains the lead influence in the face of new competitors like Google and Uber.

The Listening Pod is hosted by infrastructure journalist Antony Oliver on behalf of drainage specialist ACO and features a range of professionals in conversation on issues relevant to the sector.

To hear other industry topics check out the rest of the Listening Pod, which captures the real conversations going on amongst professionals working in the construction industry.

Julie Hurley on assembling the skills to drive a digitally led transport future

To make a success of Brexit the UK has to invest to grow its own industries and skill base, according to Christine Gaskell, chair of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership. In this conversation, recorded at the recent Transforming the North conference in Harrogate, Gaskell points out that the North must maintain an active conversation with central government to ensure that, despite many other distractions, focus is maintained on the need to invest in the Northern Powerhouse project.

The Listening Pod is hosted by infrastructure journalist Antony Oliver on behalf of drainage specialist ACO and features a range of professionals in conversation on issues relevant to the sector.

To hear other industry topics check out the rest of the Listening Pod, which captures the real conversations going on amongst professionals working in the construction industry.

Christine Gaskell on investment in the regions as key to a successful post-Brexit economy

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding was recorded at the recent Transforming the North conference in Harrogate and urged transport professionals to think very carefully about the kind of lives and places they were trying to develop for communities and businesses before committing to investment in expensive transport infrastructure. Gooding’s diary commitments meant he was unable to join the conference in person so sent his comments via video link.

The Listening Pod is hosted by infrastructure journalist Antony Oliver on behalf of drainage specialist ACO and features a range of professionals in conversation on issues relevant to the sector.

To hear other industry topics check out the rest of the Listening Pod, which captures the real conversations going on amongst professionals working in the construction industry.

Steve Gooding on why transport infrastructure must benefit communities and drive the economy

Andreas Markides, president of the Chartered Institution of Highways  and Transportation (CIHT) discusses the challenge and opportunity facing the sector from new technology and innovation.
“We have to react or we will be completely marginalised,” he says, reflecting on the way that businesses such as Google and BMW are increasingly investing to gain a foothold in transportation technology. 

In this conversation with journalist Antony Oliver recorded at the recent Highways UK show in Birmingham, Markides discusses the  need to be aware of the huge shift and of waking up to the challenge”.

The Listening Pod is hosted by infrastructure journalist Antony Oliver on behalf of Surface Water Management Manufacturer  ACO  and features a range of professionals in conversation on issues relevant to the sector.

To hear other industry topics check out the rest of the Listening Pod, which captures the real conversations going on amongst professionals working in the construction industry.

For more information on ACO go to http://www.aco.co.uk

Andreas Markides on why the highways sector must wake up to the tech challenge

“We need to think beyond simple transporting people faster from point a to point b” according to architect design guru Sadie Morgan, chair of the HS2 independent design panel and cofounder of the architecture practice de Rijke Marsh Morgan — dRMM — which recently won the RIBA Stirling Prize winner for Hastings Pier.

Speaking on this latest Listening Pod conversation with journalist Antony Oliver, Morgan point out that by simply investing more thought in better design, infrastructure professionals could deliver radically improved outcomes for the public. 

“Design doesn’t cost money – design saves money if you think about these things early on,” she explains. “Design is problem solving - you anticipate what might go wrong or what might go right.”

The Listening Pod is hosted by infrastructure journalist Antony Oliver on behalf of Surface Water Management Manufacturer and features a range of professionals in conversation on issues relevant to the sector.

To hear other industry topics check out the rest of the Listening Pod, which captures the real conversations going on amongst professionals working in the construction industry.

For more information on ACO go to http://www.aco.co.uk

Sadie Morgan - thinking design for a better quality of life

Welcome to the Listening Pod, the new project that sets out to capture real conversations going on amongst professionals working in infrastructure and the built environment. This is presented on behalf of ACO Water Management by Antony Oliver, a journalist who has been working in infrastructure, writing about infrastructure and reporting on infrastructure for the best part of 25 years.

Please have a listen to the podcasts below, taken at infrastructure events across the UK. These are short conversations that address the issues, challenges and opportunities of the industry.

For more information on ACO and Infrastructure solutions go to http://www.aco.co.uk

For a new dedicated Highways area go to http://www.aco.co.uk/highways

Welcome to the Listening Pod - conversations in infrastructure and the built environment

Engineering consultants must think bigger, employ a wider range of skills and embrace technology to really understand the needs of clients and their customers, according to Amey Consulting’s new managing director Alex Gilbert. 
“We want to dig in and really understand the “why” – what is it that we have to do and why are we doing that - because that will give us a greater insight into what our clients are going through and what their customers are ultimately looking for.” 

Bringing forward technology but also focusing on finding practical, sustainable infrastructure solutions will, he says, drive far better whole life outcomes for customers. 

The Listening Pod is hosted by infrastructure journalist Antony Oliver on behalf of Surface Water Management Manufacturer ACO and features a range of professionals in conversation on issues relevant to the sector.

To hear other industry topics check out the rest of the Listening Pod, which captures the real conversations going on amongst professionals working in the construction industry.

For more information on ACO go to http://www.aco.co.uk

Alex Gilbert - finding the right skills to deliver practical solutions for  infrastructure customers

The Road Investment Strategy’s ambition to save 2500 deaths and serious injuries on the highway network between 2015 and 2020 is a tough challenge but an achievable one that starts by engaging everyone working on the network, according to Lucy Fell, Health and Safety Director, Highways England. “The KSIs aren’t exactly where we’d like them to be at the moment but there is a lot of work being done in this space,” she says in the latest Listening Pod conversation with journalist Antony Oliver. 

“The supply chain is absolutely critical to ensuring that this process is followed,” she adds, pointing out that a third of all collisions on the network are actually related to work being carried out on the highway. We want all of our tier one supplier to be a Driving for Better Business Champion by April 2019.”

The Listening Pod is hosted by infrastructure journalist Antony Oliver on behalf of Surface Water Management Manufacturer ACO and features a range of professionals in conversation on issues relevant to the sector.

To hear other industry topics check out the rest of the Listening Pod, which captures the real conversations going on amongst professionals working in the construction industry.

For more information on ACO go to www.aco.co.uk
To see the safety that surface water management solutions bring for Highways applications go to for ww.aco.co.uk/Highways

The Listening Pod

Pinned to spotlight