A Labour backbencher is pressing for a new law to make ground investigation data routinely available for planners and engineers, arguing the move could cut costs, speed projects and improve site safety.<\/p>\n
Mike Reader MP, speaking in the Commons under the Ten Minute Rule on 3 March, set out what he called the Geotechnical Data Bill, alternatively the Ground Data for Growth Bill. The proposal would require parties conducting ground and site investigations to submit factual geotechnical data \u2013 such as borehole logs, soil and groundwater test results and site investigation reports \u2013 into the National Underground Asset Register (Nuar).<\/p>\n
Nuar is a digital map of subsurface assets such as pipes and cables developed by the government\u2019s Geospatial Commission with AtkinsR\u00e9alis and now operated by Ordnance Survey. It is accessible by utility and infrastructure asset owners, statutory undertakers and statutory authorities.<\/p>\n
Reader\u2019s Bill seeks to widen Nuar\u2019s statutory remit, currently focused on underground apparatus, to include ground\u2011condition data that is often collected during construction but remains fragmented across companies, local authorities and consultants.<\/p>\n
The case for change<\/strong><\/p>\n During his speech in Parliament, Reader said \u201cwhen you understand the ground properly, you can build better, you can build cheaper and you can build faster\u201d.<\/p>\n Reader made the case that much valuable ground information is \u201csiloed\u201d or \u201clost\u201d, forcing engineers to repeat investigations or to commence work \u201cblind\u201d, with consequences for cost, timetables and safety. He cites the scale of UK excavation activity \u2013 an estimated 5.5M road excavations a year \u2013 and warns that lack of accessible ground data contributes to utility strikes, design changes and project delays.<\/p>\n Under the proposed approach, organisations already required to use Nuar \u2013 utilities, transport bodies and their contractors \u2013 would also have a statutory duty to upload factual geotechnical records in standardised digital formats. The Bill would emphasise factual data rather than interpreted analyses, to keep the scope clear, and rely on existing data infrastructures such as the British Geological Survey\u2019s (BGS\u2019) national geotechnical database to avoid duplication.<\/p>\n Proponents argue that integrating geotechnical data into Nuar is technically feasible now, while the platform is still being finalised, and that secondary legislation could set out precise standards for what must be submitted. Freer and other supporters point to the Netherlands\u2019 BRO\/KLIC system as an international precedent in which centralised ground data has helped projects proceed more smoothly.<\/p>\n Costs and claimed benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n The Bill\u2019s backers \u2013 including AtkinsR\u00e9alis, Arup and BGS \u2013 say implementation costs would be modest because it would piggyback on Nuar and existing BGS projects, though firms would need to adopt standards and make submissions. They cite industry estimates that better use of ground\u2011investigation data could be worth about \u00a31.2bn a year through avoided duplicate drilling and improved designs, and say Nuar\u2019s utility mapping is already expected to save hundreds of millions annually through fewer excavation strikes and better coordination.<\/p>\n The proposal\u2019s supporters also stress harder\u2011to\u2011quantify benefits: fewer site stoppages, reduced safety incidents and less disruption for communities. Some industry consultations, they say, show that while many organisations would share data voluntarily, a legal requirement is needed to guarantee universal participation.<\/p>\n Political and stakeholder engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n The proposal follows engagement between government departments, industry groups and the BGS. A roundtable in early 2025, attended by officials from the Geospatial Commission, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Transport, among others, reportedly concluded there was broad support for regulatory reform on subsurface data.<\/p>\n Amendments to the Data (Use and Access) Bill in 2025 had sought to require sharing of geotechnical data via Nuar but were not adopted; ministers said they would continue to consider the issue. In the Commons, the minister responsible for data has previously described Nuar as a \u201conce\u2011in\u2011a\u2011generation\u201d opportunity to improve infrastructure planning, and peers have urged the register be used for broader public good as it matures.<\/p>\n What happens next<\/strong><\/p>\n A Ten Minute Rule speech does not itself create law but allows a backbench MP to seek leave to introduce a private member\u2019s Bill and to put the case publicly. If Reader secures leave and the Bill proceeds, it would need government time or cross\u2011bench support to pass through Parliament. Officials from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Geospatial Commission have been engaged in past discussions and, according to Reader\u2019s team, have signalled willingness to work on detail.<\/p>\n Critics \u2013 including some private owners of site investigation records \u2013 have in the past expressed concerns about data ownership, commercial sensitivity and the administrative burden of new reporting duties. The proposal aims to limit risk by focusing on factual rather than interpretative material and by using existing technical standards, but those issues are likely to figure in future debates if the Bill progresses.<\/p>\n Watch Reader presenting and making the case for the Bill in the Commons in the video below.<\/p>\n \ufeff<\/p>\n