The Environmental Industries Commission (EIC)  today welcomed the Government’s announcement of a revamped Green Book.

ACE Group - which comprises EIC and the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) - has long argued that a stronger, clearer, place-based business case is essential to addressing historic underinvestment and ensuring that regions outside London and the South East receive a fair hearing when public investment decisions are made.

Responding to the announcement, ACE Group said the new guidance will help ensure that infrastructure, regeneration and local growth projects are assessed on their real-world impact for communities and economies, not reduced to narrow or misleading metrics.

Ben Brittain, Director of Public Affairs, said: “This is exactly the direction of travel we have been calling for. If we’re serious about growth, we must be serious about place. A strong, place-based business case isn’t a nice-to-have – it’s mission-critical to unlocking investment, jobs and opportunity in every region.

“By giving all parts of the country a fair hearing, the new Green Book puts common sense back at the heart of decision-making and creates the conditions for locally-led growth that people can actually see and feel.”