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The construction industry reacted with disappointment to the chancellor鈥檚 Budget, which provided little in the way of short-term support to boost infrastructure.

George Osborne did announce 拢3bn in extra annual capital investment, but the boost - funded through cuts to departmental budgets - won鈥檛 happen until 2015, after the next election.

Osborne said the government would set out how the extra investment would be allocated in the 2015-16 spending review, to be unveiled in June, as part of a long-term capital investment plan.

However, Osborne did not provide any short-term stimulus with funding for smaller infrastructure projects, as many had called for.

The chancellor also failed to confirm any further projects would be underwritten through the 拢40bn UK Guarantees scheme, other than a guarantee of up to 拢75m to help raise finance for the partial conversion of the Drax coal-fired power station to biomass, which had been announced.

There was also no announcement over a finance deal for the 拢10bn Hinkley nuclear project, despite intense negotiations between EDF and Treasury in the lead up to the Budget over the 鈥渟trike price鈥� - the price that the government will guarantee EDF will receive for the energy generated by the power station - which is necessary to allow the scheme to go ahead.

Alasdair Reisner, Civil Engineering Contractors Association director of external affairs, said the chancellor had offered a 鈥渏am tomorrow鈥� Budget that would 鈥渄o little to boost growth through infrastructure provision before 2015鈥�.

Duncan Symonds, UK head of infrastructure at global consultancy WSP, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 disappointing that the chancellor鈥檚 recognition of infrastructure as the 鈥榚conomic arteries鈥� of this country wasn鈥檛 backed up by more detail on the 鈥榟ow鈥� and 鈥榳hen鈥�. 鈥�