The Cabinet Office has announced plans for a new Transport and Infrastructure Campus that aims to mirror the success of the HM Treasury-led Economic Campus in Darlington.
Set to be based in the West Midlands, the new campus will bring together staff from the Department for Transport, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Cabinet Office.
It aims to harness local expertise to accelerate infrastructure projects, and support the investment of at least £725bn public projects over the next decade under the National Infrastructure Strategy.
The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority will lead the development of the campus.
The Cabinet Office said NISTA will appoint a senior civil servant, based in Birmingham, as the project director. They will work with the local area and government departments to grow the campus and spread opportunity throughout the West Midlands.
Cabinet Office minister Anna Turley said the new campus would build on existing work to move jobs and decision-making out of the capital under the Places for Growth programme.
“The West Midlands is Britain’s transport heartland, and this new campus will harness that regional strength to accelerate the infrastructure projects that communities need,” she said.
“I am a firm believer that the best ideas often come from those on the frontline. By moving decision-making out of Whitehall and into the West Midlands, we are ensuring decisions are informed by local expertise and deliver real, tangible benefits for every part of the UK.”
The Cabinet Office announcement made no mention of a new physical base for the campus. Instead, it referred to the existing presence of around 35,000 civil servants in the West Midlands region. Among their numbers are roughly 300 staff who are based at MHCLG’s second headquarters in Wolverhampton, which was formally opened in autumn 2021.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said West Midlands schemes, including the Midland Metro tram network and the opening of new heavy-rail stations, underscored the choice of the region for the campus.
“The West Midlands is a fantastic home for this new Transport and Infrastructure Campus, with a real strength in delivering major projects like the Midland Metro, the expanding SPRINT bus network, and the opening of five new rail stations later this year,” Alexander said.
“By basing the campus here, we’re backing local expertise and bringing decision‑making closer to communities, helping deliver the infrastructure needed to drive growth across the country.”
Housing secretary Steve Reed said the campus would be instrumental to delivering the surge in the construction of new homes that was a major element of the Labour Party’s 2024 general election manifesto.
“We’ve promised to build 1.5m homes this parliament, and that means doing things differently,” he said. “This campus brings together the people and expertise we need to cut through the barriers and help us get Britain building.”
In addition to the Economic Campus at Darlington, ministers recently launched the Digital and AI Innovation Campus in Manchester and the Energy Campus in Aberdeen.