National Infrastructure Commission appoints experts to support and scrutinise its work

The commission, which is due to become an executive agency of the UK Treasury in January 2017, has also begun a 15-week consultation exercise seeking evidence which will help it to develop the UK's first ever National Infrastructure Assessment (NIA). It intends to set out its "vision and priorities" this summer, and to present the full NIA to parliament in 2018. It published its response to an earlier consultation (38-page / 1MB PDF) in August.

The advisory groups are split into a 'technical panel', drawn from industry and academia, and an 'analytical panel', which is mostly made up of academics. These groups will act as "sounding boards" and provide the NIC with a range of perspectives related to its work, advise on specific issues and problems and provide additional pre-publication scrutiny of NIC documents, among other roles, according to the announcement.

Infrastructure planning expert Robbie Owen of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, is one of 12 members of the NIC's technical panel.

"The commission is absolutely committed to ensuring that the analysis and advice we produce is held to the very highest standards, and these expert advisory groups will help make certain that this is the case," said Sir John Armitt, deputy chair of the NIC.

"The NIA will be a world first in size and scope – and the commission is absolutely committed to carrying it out in an open, transparent way, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders ... How can infrastructure best support growth, how should we decide what we repair and what we build, and who should pay for it - these are the sorts of big questions we need to answer. That's why the commission is asking for your views across these and a range of issues as we launch the next stage of our National Infrastructure Assessment," he said.

The NIC's call for evidence consists of 28 questions. Some of these look at UK infrastructure policy as a whole, while others specifically address transport, digital communications, energy, waste and wastewater (drainage and sewerage), flood risk management and solid waste. The consultation closes on 10 February 2017.

The NIC was first set up in October 2015 in order to take a long-term look at the UK's infrastructure needs, and to provide independent advice to ministers and parliament. Although currently operating on an interim basis before it is formally established in January 2017, it has already produced high-profile recommendations for government on London transport, connectivity in the north of England and 'smart' power.

As part of its remit, the NIC will be required to produce an NIA once in every parliament. This document will set out the NIC's assessment of the UK's long-term infrastructure needs over a 30-year horizon and provide recommendations to address those needs, to which the government will be required to formally respond. The report will be based on an assessment of UK infrastructure as a whole "using a robust, common methodology to develop needs assessments that take account of strategic cross-sector considerations and resilience implications", according to the consultation document.

Separately, the NIC is running a 'call for ideas' in conjunction with the UK Treasury, through which it is seeking suggestions for its next in-depth study or studies into the UK's priority infrastructure challenges. The call for ideas closes this week.