Infrastructure "uncertainty" would follow indecisive General Election, warns industry

A third runway at Heathrow. Airport capacity will be one infrastructure decision in the in-tray of the incoming government

A third runway at Heathrow. Airport capacity will be one infrastructure decision in the in-tray of the incoming government

Engineers and manufacturers have warned of uncertainty for infrastructure if the General Election produces an indecisive result.

The Institution of Civil Engineers and the Construction Products Association are among those airing concerns in the Financial Times over investment in roads, railways and airports. Nick Baveystock, director-general of the ICE, was worried about "a cloud of uncertainty" over infrastructure projects; the CPA said that an unstable government could cause a "hiatus in capital investment and signing contracts".

The FT highlights what it sees the threat of political instability to contentious proposals for airport expansion from the Davies Commission - which have had opposition from across the political spectrum - and what it sees as the mixed fortunes of infrastructure under the current coalition. Infrastructure output fell 8.5% between May 2010 and February, it says.