The Thames Gateway Regeneration - what is happening?

23/06/2010

Thomson Snell & Passmore welcomed a host of key speakers to their Thames Gateway regeneration forum held at Shorne Woods Country Park on Wednesday 23 June.

The open-forum was aimed at key business leaders from across the private, public and third sectors in the Thames Gateway region. The event was presented by David Liston-Jones, Chief Executive of the Thames Gateway Kent Partnership who was joined by representatives from the three local regeneration partnerships in the Thames Gateway Kent Region:

  • Anne Knight - Partnership Director, Kent Thameside Regeneration Partnership
  • Wendy Mesher - Strategy and Support Manager, Medway Renaissance Partnership
  • Emma Wiggins - Head of Economy and Community Services, Swale Borough Council.

Following the General Election and the official end of the recession, the forum was designed to provide attendees with evidence of tangible progress on the growth and regeneration of the Thames Gateway and provide an update on what has been happening over the last two years during the downturn.

The forum was pleased to note that Thames Gateway minister Bob Neill has confirmed support from the new coalition government which sees the Thames Gateway region as a national priority.

Nicholas Horton, Partner at Thomson Snell & Passmore and Chair of the Forum, said "It is good to hear that the government remains committed in the long term. Freezes and cuts in the public sector have not been immediate but authorities are reliant on the private sector. The key is innovative schemes for partnership working. The opportunities to build on what we already have in Thames Gateway are enormous."

Some key discussion points raised at the forum include –

  • David Liston-Jones commented: "We are 30 years into a 70 year project, so maintaining the impetus is challenging as we are  engaged in something much longer term than any political or funding cycles.
  • Thames Gateway Minister Bob Neill has confirmed government support from the new coalition, this is important and positive news. The Thames Gateway is a win win situation for both national and local needs. The area is important for London and UK Plc as there are opportunities for growth that other areas in the South East simply do not have.
  • Thames Gateway will remain a national priority for government but we need to influence decisions on government spending. We need to argue clearly and strongly for investment in Thames Gateway, and we need to make this clear quite quickly.
  • The North Kent Local Investment Plan sets out our priorities for investment and this is the baseline from which we will make our case to government.  A key theme for the new Government  is localism. Local authorities and the private sector will have a key role.   The kind of collaborative working we’ve developed in North Kent through the Multi Area Agreement looks set to continue. There are plans for  local enterprise partnerships between the public and private sector, but it is still very early days. The  aim of collaborative working between partners is to achieve more effective delivery to the area for local residents and businesses..
  • A tremendous amount of progress has been made over recent years and this will continue.  Making progress towards our targets over the next few years is going to be tough as we work through the issues of the economy, but the Thames Gateway is a long term project which has been through and survived previous downturns and I have every confidence it will do so again."
  • Sir Richard Heygate, of Oneida Associes (the management consultancy working with Land Securities on the promotion of land around Ebbsfleet) says "[The site around Ebbsfleet] is an incredible opportunity. Everything is on the ground to create a new way of working, living and giving people the opportunity to enjoy themselves. This is a fantastic opportunity, and the question we are dealing with is, what will it take to get people's attention?"
  • Anne Knight provided a very interesting presentation focusing on key developments, including the Fast Track bus service, the Green Agenda including a cyclopark at the point of the A2 widening and the employability and skills agenda where the aim is to create 30,000 jobs and 50,000 homes in the area. Kent Thameside has already created one third of the jobs targeted.
  • Wendy Mesher delivered a fascinating update on progress in Medway. In 2009, 1000 homes were built in Medway, secured funding of £85 million enabled the educational college to be completed and 10,000 people were in full time education at the Universities of Kent at Medway compared to only 3,000 in year 2000. Wendy spoke about the considerable investment in North Kent town centres - Chatham has only a 7% vacancy rate and Strood only 3%. New businesses are coming to the area motivated by the regeneration.
  • Emma Wiggins spoke about Swale's clear strategic focus on Sittingbourne, Sheppey and Faversham. There are areas for opportunity in Swale as well as areas of deprivation. Swale Borough Council is talking to communities and focussing on those most in need. Emma discussed the area's strong individuality, the pride in the community, using the diversity in the community as a strength and building the level of people skills. Emma confirmed the Councils' continued commitment to Sittingbourne Town Centre, making the most of the locality and building opportunities by upskilling the local community.

Further highlights from the presenter’s transcripts are available on Thomson Snell & Passmore's website or contact Alexa Twort, Senior Marketing Executive, email alexa.twort@ts-p.co.uk .