At a glance
🏛️ Treasury has cut the Green Book discount rate for public infrastructure appraisals from 3.5% to 3%, improving the economics of long-term transport, housing and social infrastructure schemes. (Source: Reuters)
🚆 Government is rolling out infrastructure planning reforms and updated National Infrastructure Planning Guidance, reshaping processes for major project examinations and fees through 2026. (Source: GOV.UK)
🏛️ Parliament will examine amended Building Safety Levy regulations for England today, adding another layer of cost and compliance for higher-risk residential projects. (Source: Hansard Society)
🏗️ Merseyside Police is moving ahead with a 35,000 sq ft town-centre policing base in Liverpool, reinforcing steady regional regeneration despite weak national infrastructure output. (Source: Place North West)
💰 Latest data show infrastructure project values slipping to £800m in June, even as policy shifts signal a more supportive medium-term investment environment. (Source: Barbour ABI)
Today’s update: the fiscal framework for UK infrastructure is softening just as delivery data point to a weaker near-term pipeline. Lower appraisal discount rates, new place-based pilots and updated NSIP guidance are colliding with ongoing building safety reform and a dip in recorded infrastructure work. Here’s what you need to know to stay ahead today.
Ongoing Stories
🏛️ Following earlier coverage of planning and infrastructure reform, the Treasury’s move to cut appraisal discount rates to 3% adds a significant fiscal lever to the existing push for faster approvals and stronger central intervention. (Source: Reuters)
Top 5 headlines
🏛️ Treasury cuts discount rate to 3%, boosting long-term infrastructure economics
The UK Treasury has reduced the core Green Book discount rate used in public sector investment appraisals from 3.5% to 3%. The move is intended to better support long-term transport, housing and social infrastructure schemes by improving their cost–benefit profiles over multi-decade horizons. Returning today as part of the wider reform agenda, this shift could unlock approvals for projects previously marginal on value-for-money tests and sharpen competition for shovel-ready schemes. (Source: Reuters)
🏛️ Place-based appraisal pilots launched in four cities
Government is piloting a place-based investment appraisal approach in Plymouth, Liverpool, Birmingham and Port Talbot. The pilots aim to test methods that capture local economic, social and environmental impacts more fully than traditional national-level appraisals. For developers and infrastructure sponsors in these areas, this could tilt business cases towards integrated regeneration, transport and social value outcomes. (Source: GOV.UK guidance)
🏛️ Building Safety Levy amendment set for parliamentary scrutiny
Parliament is scheduled today to consider the draft Building Safety Levy (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2026. The regulations will adjust the framework for the levy applied to certain higher-risk residential developments. This will be closely watched by housebuilders and build‑to‑rent investors, as it directly affects scheme viability and forward land strategies. (Source: Hansard Society)
🚆 NSIP guidance updated as infrastructure planning reforms bite
National Infrastructure Planning Guidance has been updated to reflect the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, including new processes and fee arrangements for nationally significant infrastructure projects. Through 2026, further implementation work is refining examination and acceptance processes, with detailed guidance now in place. Returning today as a key strand of the reform story, this will affect programme risk, consenting timelines and bid strategies for promoters across energy, transport, water and major housing-linked infrastructure. (Source: GOV.UK, GOV.UK)
🏗️ Merseyside Police confirms new 35,000 sq ft Liverpool policing base
Merseyside Police is acquiring Lincoln House and part of the adjacent Birchley Street Car Park to deliver a new 35,000 sq ft town-centre policing base, replacing an existing facility. The scheme forms part of ongoing local regeneration and consolidation of estate strategy in Liverpool’s core. The project will interest regional contractors and consultants, illustrating steady public-sector workplace investment even as national infrastructure volumes soften. (Source: Place North West)
Also in the news
⚙️ Barbour ABI reports UK infrastructure construction value fell to £800m in June, signalling weaker short-term delivery volumes despite a more supportive policy backdrop. (Source: Barbour ABI)
🌱 Government’s infrastructure strategy continues to prioritise clean energy, hydrogen, flood resilience, transmission, EV charging and water investment, though no major new awards were identified over 6–7 September. (Source: UK infrastructure strategy overview)
🚆 Planning reform and updated NSIP guidance are flagged as a key workstream for engineering and design consultancies engaged on major projects, with process changes likely to alter resourcing and front‑end risk management. (Source: GOV.UK)
💰 Treasury discount rate reforms are expected to improve the investment case for long-duration infrastructure assets and support efforts to crowd in private capital via the National Wealth Fund. (Source: Reuters)
💰 Policymakers continue to stress funding certainty for major schemes as a priority, seeking to align appraisal reforms with investor confidence in the UK infrastructure pipeline. (Source: Treasury and infrastructure policy commentary)
The Daily Build is written for people shaping the UK’s construction and infrastructure pipeline, from boardrooms to site offices. If today’s briefing is useful, consider forwarding it to colleagues who are reworking business cases or navigating NSIP reform this quarter.