Talking Infrastructure

Welcome to season 5 of AECOM’s Talking Infrastructure podcast. Talking Infrastructure delves into the industry’s hot topics, key projects, and the ground-breaking innovations that are helping to solve some of the world’s most complex infrastructure challenges.    Protecting heritage, powering renewal  Protecting heritage while powering renewal is a challenge facing communities and organisations across the UK. As historic buildings and places are adapted to meet modern needs, the question is how to preserve what makes them special while ensuring they remain relevant for future generations.  Collaboration is increasingly at the heart of that challenge. By bringing together different organisations, skills and expertise, it is possible to develop practical and affordable solutions that protect heritage, preserve traditional craftsmanship and support modern requirements.  How can historic buildings be modernised without losing their character and significance? What does effective collaboration look like in complex, live environments? And how can heritage assets help strengthen local identity while enabling places to respond to social and environmental change?  In this special panel discussion recorded at UKREiiF, host Toby Sadler is joined by: Sophia Negus (Regional Director, Business Engineering, AECOM) Alasdair Travers (Design Partner, Purcell)  Christine Davis-Worth (Head of Heritage – Conservation Architect and Heritage Consultant, BDP) Richard Jessup (Associate Chartered Building Surveyor, AtkinsRéalis) Tom Foxall (Regional Director – London and South East, Historic England).  Together, they explore how heritage can be protected while unlocking new opportunities for growth and renewal, sharing examples of how partnership, innovation and traditional skills can help historic assets continue to serve communities for generations to come.  Listen to the full discussion and discover how protecting heritage can help power renewal.  Listen to our latest Talking Infrastructure episode over on: https://aecom.com/podcasts/talking-infrastructure-podcast/  Useful links:  Elizabeth Tower: restoring a national landmark  Connect with us on social:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/aecom/  https://www.instagram.com/aecom/

Welcome to season 5 of AECOM’s Talking Infrastructure podcast. Talking Infrastructure delves into the industry’s hot topics, key projects, and the ground-breaking innovations that are helping to solve some of the world’s most complex infrastructure challenges.  Northern Powerhouse Rail: the choices that will shape delivery  Northern Powerhouse Rail – a new rail network set to be the region’s largest transport investment since the Industrial Revolution, has long been a defining ambition for the North of England. The question now is how to turn that ambition into delivery.  With the next 18 months under the spotlight, attention is turning to the decisions that will shape how NPR progresses, and how widely its benefits can be felt.  What will it take to unlock growth across city regions? Where should investment be prioritised? And how can progress in scheme development help build the confidence needed to move towards construction?  In this special episode of Talking Infrastructure, recorded at UKREiiF, host Toby Sadler leads a discussion with Gordon Kells (Chief Operating Officer, Transpennine Route Upgrade), Lola McEvoy MP, (Darlington, Labour Party), Rosario Barcena (Rail Programme Director, Skanska) and Megan Knights, AECOM’s Strategy and Growth Director for Transportation.   Together, they unpack the critical choices facing NPR – from investment and funding to how city regions can maximise the benefits – and what must happen now to strengthen confidence in delivery and unlock long-term growth across the North.    Listen to our latest Talking Infrastructure episode over on: https://aecom.com/podcasts/talking-infrastructure-podcast/    Useful links:  Masterplanning Welborne Garden Village, one of the UK’s most notable garden communities  Elizabeth Tower: restoring a national landmark  The Northumberland Line: the start of a new golden age for rail  Campus meets city: Actionable insights for place-led university estates  The infrastructure challenge behind England's housing targets  Planning Capability Statement Housing  Brookleigh, Burgess Hill: from stalled site to sustainable community    Connect with us on social:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/aecom/  https://www.instagram.com/aecom/

Welcome to season 5 of AECOM’s Talking Infrastructure podcast. Talking Infrastructure delves into the industry’s hot topics, key projects, and the ground-breaking innovations that are helping to solve some of the world’s most complex infrastructure challenges.    Then, now, next: lessons in building lasting communities  What turns a housing development into a thriving community – a place where people feel they belong, can participate, and are proud to call home?   It is rarely just the homes. It’s the choices made long before people move in, from transport and infrastructure to public space, and the way a place is planned from day one.  In this special episode of Talking Infrastructure, recorded at UKREiiF, host Toby Sadler is joined by Angela Barnicle (Director for City Development, Leeds City Council), Rob Chesworth (Head of Housing and Strategic Land, The Crown Estate), Cathy Francis (Director for New Towns, Infrastructure and Housing Delivery, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) and Patrick Clarke (Director, UK and Ireland, Masterplanning Lead, AECOM) to explore what it takes to move from housing delivery to creating places that truly work over the long term.  The discussion focuses on infrastructure-led planning, placemaking-first design and the role of public–private partnerships in shaping communities that feel connected, sustainable and built to last. It also asks a more fundamental question: are we learning enough from the places we have already built?  Using a Then, Now and Next lens, the panel reflects on what past developments can teach us, how expectations are changing today, and how those lessons can help us avoid repeating old mistakes – whether delivering large-scale housing schemes or planning the next generation of new towns.    Listen to our latest Talking Infrastructure episode over on: https://aecom.com/podcasts/talking-infrastructure-podcast/    Useful links:  Masterplanning Welborne Garden Village, one of the UK’s most notable garden communities  Elizabeth Tower: restoring a national landmark  The Northumberland Line: the start of a new golden age for rail  Campus meets city: Actionable insights for place-led university estates  The infrastructure challenge behind England's housing targets  Planning Capability Statement Housing  Brookleigh, Burgess Hill: from stalled site to sustainable community  Connect with us on social:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/aecom/  https://www.instagram.com/aecom/

Airports are under increasing pressure to expand, modernise and deliver more – for passengers, for communities and for the wider economy. But with public funding constrained, how can this level of investment be delivered at pace and scale?  As demand for air travel grows and infrastructure comes under strain, private finance is playing a central role – often through partnerships between the public and private sectors. This is reflected in our Rebuilding Britain report, which highlights that unlocking private capital is essential to bridging the UK’s infrastructure gap and enabling complex, large-scale projects to move forward.  In this episode, host Toby Sadler is joined by Nick Platts (Managing Director, Luton Rising), Javier Echave Espot (Chief Operating Officer, Heathrow) and Crawford Burden (Managing Director, Aviation, Europe & India, AECOM) to explore how private finance is acting as a catalyst for airport growth in practice.  Drawing on insights from Heathrow and Luton Airport, the discussion highlights how investment and a variety of partnership models are enabling expansion and improving performance, while delivering wider value for passengers, communities and the economy.  Private finance is about more than capital. It brings the expertise, delivery capability and commercial insight needed to turn ambition into viable, investable projects – and ultimately into infrastructure that works.  At AECOM, we support clients across the full project lifecycle – combining advisory, engineering and deep aviation expertise to help shape investment strategies and translate growth into infrastructure that can be delivered and sustained over the long term.  Listen to our latest Talking Infrastructure episode over on: https://insights.aecom.com/insights/talking-infrastucture Useful links:  Project: London Luton Airport’s expansion: building capacity for the future  Project: Hong Kong International Airport 2030 Study  Blog: People Spotlight: Meet Patricia Ribó Sörensen - Blog  Thought Leadership: Rebuilding Britain: Unlocking growth from the UK’s infrastructure strategy | AECOM Insights    Connect with us on social:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/aecom/  https://www.instagram.com/aecom/

Across the world, extreme weather is putting the systems we rely on under increasing pressure.   At the same time, we’re entering a historic era of infrastructure growth. Electricity demand is rising rapidly – and around 75 per cent of the infrastructure that will exist by mid-century hasn’t yet been built.    So how do we ensure the systems we depend on today – and the infrastructure we build tomorrow – are ready for a changing climate?   In this first episode of Talking Infrastructure’s Season 5, our host Toby Sadler is joined by Marcene Mitchell (WWF), Jane McMillan (SP Energy Networks) and Sally Vivian (AECOM) to discuss what it will take to build climate resilience across critical infrastructure systems.    They cover topics such as:  Why the scale of infrastructure growth ahead creates a critical opportunity to build resilience in from the start   How nature-based solutions can complement traditional engineering to reduce climate risk    Why the incentives shaping infrastructure investment may need to evolve to better support resilience   Why today’s infrastructure decisions could lock in resilience – or vulnerability – for decades to come   Find out more over on: https://insights.aecom.com/insights/talking-infrastucture Useful links:  Come and work for AECOM: discover the recruitment opportunities here: https://acm.to/aecom-jobs Thought Leadership - https://acm.to/Lessons-from-the-Natural-Capital-Laboratory-on-connecting-nature-and-business Project -  https://acm.to/FIDIC-and-WWF-Playbook Project- https://acm.to/Building-climate-resilience Department of Transport’s Sectoral Adaptation Plan (T-SAP II) – a tailored plan assessing infrastructure across all transport modes and how governments and communities can effectively plan and deliver climate-resilience infrastructure (systematic level resilience)  Report – Royal Meteorological Society research report on climate impacts on energy sector (AECOM research report published at end of October). Connect with us on social:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/aecom/  https://www.instagram.com/aecom/

Welcome to Season 4 of AECOM’s Talking Infrastructure podcast. In this series, we explore the challenges, opportunities, and innovations shaping the future of infrastructure – from accelerating the energy transition to ensuring our sector is ready for what comes next.  Episode 3: Future-ready infrastructure – Addressing the STEM skills crisis  In this episode, our host Toby Sadler is joined by expert guests from AECOM, Energy & Utility Skills and SSE to explore the pressing shortage of STEM skills across the infrastructure industry.  From nuclear and renewables to water and transport, the sector faces a growing demand for talent – yet is struggling to fill roles across all levels. As a third of the UK workforce sits in STEM roles, the risk of a shortfall could cost the UK economy up to £120 billion by 2030.  Together, our guests unpack the root causes of the issue, the gaps in education and workforce training, and share how they’re tackling the problem – from building early-stage pipelines and reskilling experienced professionals to cross-sector collaboration and digital upskilling.  📌 Key questions include:  What’s causing the shortage of STEM skills across infrastructure?  What are the specific impacts on energy, nuclear and utility projects?  How can we encourage underrepresented groups back into the sector?  What role do education, mentorship and policy play in solving the crisis?  What does a future-ready workforce really look like?  Expert Speakers:  Paul Cox, CEO, Energy & Utility Skills  Leads the organisation that works with industry and government to tackle workforce challenges and secure a skilled, sustainable pipeline of talent for the UK’s utility sector.  Stephanie O’Donnell, Strategic Workforce Planning Manager, SSE Responsible for shaping SSE’s future workforce and navigating the evolving skills demands of the energy transition.  Karen Armstrong-Telfer, Nuclear Lead, AECOM AECOM’s lead on nuclear strategy and delivery, bringing deep insight into the specialised skills needed for growth and resilience in the sector.  About the host: Toby Sadler, Senior Communications Manager, AECOM Toby brings experience from both journalism and communications. He hosts Talking Infrastructure with a curious mind and a passion for amplifying the voices shaping the future of our built environment.  Useful links:  Podcast survey – take part in our podcast survey to help shape the future of the podcast. You could win your very own exclusive Talking Infrastructure podcast mug (T&Cs apply): https://forms.office.com/r/6DcYTjsgza   Come and work for AECOM: discover the recruitment opportunities here: https://aecom.jobs   Read our blog to learn more about nuclear decommissioning - Milestones and innovations in nuclear decommissioning - Blog  Listen to an episode of our podcast about how we can encourage, upskill and attract engineers - Engineer of the future: building tomorrow’s workforce    Connect with us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aecom/,https://www.instagram.com/aecom/, https://twitter.com/aecom

We’ve all seen the headlines—over the past decade, the UK has seen record-breaking rainfall, with climate change driving more intense weather. But our drainage infrastructure, much of it built over a century ago, was not designed to cope with these extremes.  Combined sewer overflows (CSOs)—originally developed to prevent flooding by discharging excess water when sewers reach capacity—are now being triggered more often, increasing the risk of surface water flooding. As populations grow and cities expand, drainage networks are now being pushed to their limits.  While larger pipes and storage tanks might help in the short term, they too have limited capacity and are both costly and carbon intensive to build. Clearly, grey infrastructure alone won’t fix the problem. The UK needs a smarter, more sustainable approach to managing water—one that eases pressure on sewers before storms hit.  In this episode, we focus on blue-green infrastructure, which combines natural features like wetlands and rain gardens with conventional drainage systems to manage water more effectively, reduce flood risk and create greener, healthier places to live.   Host Toby Sadler speaks to those at the forefront of the innovative projects already making an impact, from the UK’s largest sustainable drainage scheme in Mansfield, Derbyshire to Glasgow’s Smart Canal, which pairs blue-green principles with digital technology, to Castle Archdale’s integrated constructed wetland in Northern Ireland, which functions as both a wastewater treatment system and a community asset.  Together, our speakers tackle the key questions: could nature help solve the UK’s sewer overflow challenge? And what are the steps needed to implement blue-green infrastructure on a wider scale?  Tune in now to hear from:   Simon Parsons, Director of Environment, Planning and Assurance (Scottish Water)   Paddy Brow, Head of Living with Water Programme (Northern Ireland Water)  Hannah Howe, Principal Consultant (AECOM)  Find out more over on: https://aecom.com/podcasts/talking-infrastructure-podcast/  ------------------- Welcome to season 4 of AECOM’s Talking Infrastructure podcast. Talking Infrastructure delves into the industry’s hot topics, key projects, and the ground-breaking innovations that are helping to solve some of the world’s most complex infrastructure challenges. -------------- Useful links:  Come and work for AECOM: discover the recruitment opportunities here: https://aecom.jobs/  Blog: Living With Water Programme: protecting, enhancing and growing Belfast Blog: Mansfield: designing the UK’s largest sustainable drainage scheme Connect with us on social:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/aecom/  https://www.instagram.com/aecom/

"We’ve got to think about this all together as a whole-systems holistic solution, whether it’s a single rural community or whether that’s at an industrial cluster level. It’s the same—the whole nation is a system in itself. So, we’ve got to have that whole-systems approach from the top down, whether that’s transmission networks right the way down to [...] the final mile on the grid." – Kate Gilmartin, British Hydropower Association For too long, we’ve tackled energy challenges in isolation—treating renewables, grid capacity and infrastructure as separate pieces of the puzzle. But real progress demands a systems approach—one that connects people, politics, places and portfolios.  In this first episode of Talking Infrastructure’s Season 4, our host Toby Sadler is joined by Kate Gilmartin (CEO, British Hydropower Association), Dan Nicholls (Chief Product Officer, SNRG) and Sarah Falconer (Energy Planning, Consenting and Development Lead, AECOM) to discuss why systems thinking is key to delivering a successful transition to clean energy.  They cover topics such as:  How local energy solutions like microgrids could shift power back into the hands of communities  The role of hydropower in providing reliable power, flexibility and storage—and the barriers to scaling it up in the UK   What’s needed to better align policy, planning and investment to accelerate clean energy projects  How systems thinking can help tackle skills shortages and build a long-term workforce for the sector  Find out more over on: https://aecom.com/podcasts/talking-infrastructure-podcast/  ------------------- Welcome to season 3 of AECOM’s Talking Infrastructure podcast. Talking Infrastructure delves into the industry’s hot topics, key projects, and the ground-breaking innovations that are helping to solve some of the world’s most complex infrastructure challenges. -------------- Useful links:  Come and work for AECOM: discover the recruitment opportunities here: https://aecom.jobs/  Blog: Systems thinking in the energy transition: a people-centric approach  Project: Great Grid Upgrade  Blog: Realizing the multi-generational opportunities of the energy transition    Connect with us on social:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/aecom/  https://www.instagram.com/aecom/

Despite the ongoing war and the destruction of nearly half its power infrastructure since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022, Ukraine is determined to emerge stronger and greener. This episode delves into Ukraine's bold vision to become Europe’s new green energy hub.  Remarkably, Ukraine constructed more onshore wind turbines in 2022 than England, showcasing its commitment to renewable energy even amidst conflict.  The Tyligulska wind farm, for example – the first to be built in a conflict zone – is now generating enough clean energy to power around 200,000 homes just 60 miles from the frontline.   Tune in to hear more about on the radical reshaping of Ukraine’s energy landscape and the lessons it can teach us.  ------------  Welcome to season 3 of AECOM’s Talking Infrastructure podcast. Talking Infrastructure delves into the industry’s hot topics, key projects, and the ground-breaking innovations that are helping to solve some of the world’s most complex infrastructure challenges.   We'll be discussing everything from driving cost and time efficiencies within the rail industry to the importance of collaboration in bringing hydrogen projects forward.    ----------------  About the host   👉 James Banks, Director of Marketing and Communications. Been at AECOM for 6 years.    Hosting the Talking Infrastructure is a real highlight of my role at AECOM. Having launched the podcast back in 2019. I’ve seen it grow from something that was, to be honest, a bit of an experiment, to something that is now adding real value to our clients and the industry. With a growing and diverse audience, I’m always amazed when I receive emails and social comments from listeners all over the world. So, keep them coming!    Useful links:   Podcast survey – take part in our podcast survey to help shape the future of the podcast. You could win your very own exclusive Talking Infrastructure podcast mug (T&Cs apply): https://forms.office.com/r/6DcYTjsgza    Come and work for AECOM: discover the recruitment opportunities here: https://aecom.jobs    Get a copy of our FOI report here: https://infrastructure.aecom.com/   Connect with us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aecom/,https://www.instagram.com/aecom/, https://twitter.com/aecom

We’re back with another installment of Talking Infrastructure—and this time we’re live at UKREiiF: the UK’s real estate investment and infrastructure forum.  In this episode, James Banks hosts a live panel discussion about the people-centric strategies needed to navigate the energy transition in an equitable way.  ------------  Welcome to season 3 of AECOM’s Talking Infrastructure podcast. Talking Infrastructure delves into the industry’s hot topics, key projects, and the ground-breaking innovations that are helping to solve some of the world’s most complex infrastructure challenges.   We'll be discussing everything from driving cost and time efficiencies within the rail industry to the importance of collaboration in bringing hydrogen projects forward.    ----------------  About the host   👉 James Banks, Director of Marketing and Communications. Been at AECOM for 6 years.    Hosting the Talking Infrastructure is a real highlight of my role at AECOM. Having launched the podcast back in 2019. I’ve seen it grow from something that was, to be honest, a bit of an experiment, to something that is now adding real value to our clients and the industry. With a growing and diverse audience, I’m always amazed when I receive emails and social comments from listeners all over the world. So, keep them coming!    Useful links:   Podcast survey – take part in our podcast survey to help shape the future of the podcast. You could win your very own exclusive Talking Infrastructure podcast mug (T&Cs apply): https://forms.office.com/r/6DcYTjsgza    Come and work for AECOM: discover the recruitment opportunities here: https://aecom.jobs    Get a copy of our FOI report here: https://infrastructure.aecom.com/   Connect with us on social: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aecom/,https://www.instagram.com/aecom/, https://twitter.com/aecom