Economics director Allan Wilén said: "We are pleased that the Chancellor appears to have listened to the construction products industry and taken action on key programme areas where previous investment has been slow to come into effect.  It is now imperative that the spending departments set out a clear investment programme to deliver much needed improvements to the built environment. 
 
"We are particularly encouraged by the long term commitment to improve the transport infrastructure, raising investment by 2.25% in real terms every year until 2018/19.  Given this commitment the Department for Transport should now publish a clear investment strategy for the road and rail systems that will tackle congestion and safeguard the UK's competitiveness. 
 
He added: "We welcome the reaffirmed commitments to sustained investment in health and education facilities.  The Department for Children, Schools and Families will now need to accelerate the delivery of its school investment programmes whilst we believe that a priority for the Department of Health over the next three years should be tackling the £3.7bn repair backlog on the NHS estate.
 
"We welcome the Chancellor's announcement that Planning Gain Supplement will not now go ahead as originally proposed.  However, we will be looking closely to assess the potential impact of the alternative system of planning charges being proposed by the Government."