REGIONAL FOCUS > Thames Gateway Overview
Published: Tuesday, 11 Mar, 2008
The Thames Gateway is an unrivalled regeneration opportunity; located in the South East, and with access to the River Thames. Since the Government designated the Thames Gateway as a Growth Area, over £7billion has been invested in the region.
The Thames Gateway is an unrivalled regeneration opportunity; located in the South East, and with access to the River Thames. Since the Government designated the Thames Gateway as a Growth Area, over £7billion has been invested in the region.
The Thames Gateway will gain an additional 160,000 new homes, and 180,000 new jobs in the next ten years, with 35 per cent of the housing designated as affordable. Creating the conditions to unlock the economic potential of the Gateway could contribute up to £12 billion a year to the UK economy – the region will not only aim to catch up with the rest of the UK, it will need to be in the lead.
It has tremendous development potential. Firstly, while it comprises only 2% of the south east of England, it contains 17% of its brownfield land, enabling us to deliver growth while protecting valuable greenspace. Secondly, the Gateway is accessible to both the economic hub of London and the continental European markets. These are real assets for economic growth.
The Thames Gateway will of course be home to the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. While this is a tremendous boost for East London, it has knock on benefits for the Capital and the whole of the UK. The Thames Gateway programme will benefit from the increased momentum and investor confidence generated by the successful Olympic bid.
We understand the value of world class, exemplary development that can inspire and demonstrate the benefits that flow from quality, innovative design. We will be creating the UK’s first Low Carbon Region and improving the quality of green space and the public realm in the Thames Gateway Parklands. This will not only be a platform for inspiring well designed places, but will also pioneer new approaches to water, waste and transport.
Raising educational achievement is crucial to the economic success of the Gateway. The Thames Gateway programme is not just about preparing for growth, it is also about bringing lasting benefits to existing residents. In the Gateway, we have an area which has had low skills and low educational achievement. We want to change that by creating better jobs choice locally, raising educational aspirations and achievements and improving the skills level of the local population. The new business district at Canary Wharf is one example of how this is changing. We are building three new university campuses at East London, Medway and Southend, and working with Learning and Skills Councils to provide skills training.
There are big challenges ahead but there is now a real focus across the Gateway to deliver this vital economic project involving and including local communities.
Written by The Right Honourable Yvette Cooper MP. Originally published in Invest In Success Thames Gateway 2008, page 7
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