By: Kirsty Jones
Posted on 26 June 2026
The Welsh Government is prioritising community engagement as it looks towards its 2050 infrastructure needs.
The Welsh Government's 2026 Infrastructure Cymru involved over 100 policymakers, infrastructure providers, community members and delivery bodies to co-design forward priorities for Welsh infrastructure development to 2050.
Next Generation Engagement's Dr Kirsty Jones provided expert advice on excellence in project engagement, in advance of a massive World Cafe, held at Cornerstone, Cardiff. Her work to support UK Government's build awareness of the role of community engagement in successful infrastructure delivery is improving government, industry and community understanding of why excellent engagement matters and how it can be achieved.
Dr Jones emphasised a range of findings from her work in Australia, including the importance of engaging early and allowing time and space for relationships to develop trust. The top five priorities determined by the group echoed her encouragement. Both 'communities and engagement' and 'politics, planning and regulation' took out top spots among the five themes participants identified as 'pivotal to infrastructure delivery in Wales'.
Find out more about the Cymru here.
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