The KPMG Infrastructure 100 league table names the top 10 projects in a series of 10 categories covering areas like transport, education and health.
The Royal London Hospital ranked number one in the health category, with the Mersey Gateway ranking third in the urban mobility grouping.
The US leads the world in innovative building and infrastructure projects, 14 projects were featured as being leaders, including the redeveloped site of the World Trade Center.
Urban Mobility
Mersey Gateway (ranked 3)
The £540m Mersey Gateway described as an impressive and desperately needed solution improving mobility and economic growth throughout the Liverpool city region, north Cheshire and north west.
The Public Private Partnership will see construction of a new 3×2 lane cable-stayed toll bridge with a 1km span over the River Mersey between the towns of Runcorn and Widnes. The concession includes construction of associated link roads and the upgrading and tolling of the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge.
Urban Regeneration
Scotswood Urban Regeneration (10)
The Scotswood Urban Regeneration project plans to regenerate a run-down urban area in the west of Newcastle city center, creating a truly sustainable, new urban community.
Once completed, it will deliver 1,800 new homes, schools, retail properties, leisure centers and community buildings. Roads, drainage and other infrastructure will also be upgraded.
Regeneration work began towards the end of 2011 and it is expected to take 15 years to complete.
Education
UWE Bristol Campus (8)
The UWE is one of the largest university expansion projects underway in Europe with a 70-acre site being acquired for a new students’ union, media hub and faculty of arts.
Healthcare
The Royal London Hospital (1)
The Royal London Hospital at Whitechapel is one of the oldest operating healthcare facilities in England. The Victorian-era hospital was redeveloped by Skanska and funded through a £1.1bn PFI.
Following its redevelopment, the new hospital reopened its doors in March 2012 and is now one of Britain’s largest, most advanced healthcare facilities.
The new hospital has 1,248 beds, an increase of 186 on the previous facility, with over 40% in single rooms with en suite facilities. Wards are light and airy with natural ventilation and separate areas for women and men, and the 22 operating theatres are one-third larger than their predecessors.
Water
Thames Tideway (10)
The Thames Tideway was described as a huge undertaking for London and Thames Water. It involves the construction of a 30km tunnel, 70m under the River Thames.
The controversial “super sewer” will run from west to east across London and is desperately needed due to the inability of London’s current Victorian drainage system to cope with heavy rainfall.
Recycling and Waste Management
Zero Waste: Edinburgh and Midlothian (9)
The Zero Waste: Edinburgh and Midlothian project in Scotland impressed judges as the project was developed in response to the Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Plan in 2010.
It aims to separate all food waste collections from regular rubbish by 2013 followed by a ban on recyclable waste in landfills by 2015. The project involves development of an anaerobic digestion facility to process 30,000 tons of waste per annum.
Urban Energy Infrastructure
Brixton Solar One (10)
Although small in scale, Brixton Solar One is another urban PV project with ambition and community spirit. Located on Brixton’s Loughborough Estate in London, the project will be Britain’s first community-run urban solar power plant.
PV panels will be installed on the rooftops of the estate in order to generate clean energy for residents.
The £75,000 project is being financed through a community share offer, in which local businesses and individuals can invest. It aims not only to generate steady returns for shareholders, but to make a lasting contribution to sustainability and quality of life in the area.
The complete list of the 100 projects can be viewed online here
