The Institution of Civil Engineers has warned that the UK government’s new Better Connected integrated transport strategy lacks the clear, long-term objectives and investment pathways needed to steer major rail, road and mass transit schemes. ICE argues the document omits essential components such as defined modal priorities, a sequenced project pipeline and stable funding signals that asset owners and contractors require for planning multi‑decade programmes. The critique signals continued uncertainty for large schemes needing early geotechnical investigation, corridor safeguarding and staged capacity upgrades.

US rare earth strategy is shifting from securing ore to controlling processing, with Aclara Resources’ Virginia Tech pilot and planned Louisiana separation plant illustrating a policy pivot towards domestic heavy rare earth separation for dysprosium and terbium used in EVs, wind and defence. Patricio Faúndez, economics leader at GEM Mining Consulting, notes Washington is now deploying price floors, equity stakes and long-term offtakes—tools long associated with China—to de-risk capital-intensive plants. The emerging model favours allied feedstock plus US-based processing, redistributing supply risk across jurisdictions rather than eliminating it.

Difficulties implementing mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) are slowing housing projects, with a Home Builders Federation survey of 80 firms finding 84% still struggle with BNG and 80% reporting planning delays while local authorities review biodiversity assessments. Sixty per cent said BNG has deterred them from pursuing sites that would previously have been viable, citing policy uncertainty, inconsistent application of requirements and cumulative regulatory cost. Some capacity issues are easing, with reported shortages of in-house expertise down from 79% to 66% and adequate off-site biodiversity unit supply up from 31% to 47%.