Engineers in the West Midlands have called for the creation of a permanent UK infrastructure authority to address long-term strategic requirements.
Firms in the region have added their voices to calls for a body like Infrastructure Australia and Singapore's Urban Development Authority to overcome infrastructure challenges and encourage vital investment to support growth and competitiveness.
Manufacturers' organisation the EEF published a paper this week aimed at ending decades of "political wrangling and poor planning".
Richard Halstead, Midlands region director at EEF, said neglected road and energy infrastructure, along with continued prevarication over expanding vitally needed airport capacity, were a critical factor for inward investment.
He said: "Political prevarication and policy reversals have left Britain in the slow lane in developing its infrastructure for decades.
"The neglect of our roads, the indecision on expanding airport capacity and the agonising over high speed rail routes connecting our major cities have only served to exacerbate the feeling that Britain's infrastructure is not geared up to support growth.
"We now have the opportunity to put in place a new independent system that will aid long-term planning, supporting more of a consensus-based approach in identifying future needs. All political parties need to commit to this in their forthcoming manifestos.
"In a nutshell, a UK infrastructure authority would add value by horizon scanning for future challenges, and ensuring debates are backed by trusted analysis."
According to EEF, the UK lacks the institutional framework to identify, plan and deliver major projects, getting them from conception to completion in a streamlined way.
This leads to projects being identified too late, with little or no time for a proper assessment or public debate. As a result, when infrastructure projects do finally go ahead it is through desperate necessity, with the sky high costs associated with such an approach.
EEF's proposal, which goes beyond any of the proposals by the main political parties, would see the creation of an authority with a parent board accountable to parliament.
It would be set up as a non-ministerial government department maintaining its impartiality while also having the flexibility to work across government.
According to EEF's proposal, the authority would also be tasked with providing an annual progress report to Parliament. This would show what progress is being made in the development of infrastructure projects and concepts, and highlight the viability of solutions which may have been proposed.
It would also provide an overarching framework for project proposals, working similarly to the Airports Commission and Office for Budget Responsibility.
