Thames Gateway

From Free net encyclopedia

The Thames Gateway is an area of land stretching 40 miles eastwards from East London on both sides of the River Thames and the Thames Estuary. The area, which includes much brownfield land, has been designated a national priority for urban regeneration and stretches from Westferry in Tower Hamlets to the Isle of Sheppey.

Contents 1 Scope 2 Profile 3 Administration 4 Redevelopment zones 5 Developments 5.1 Channel Tunnel Rail Link 5.2 London 5.2.1 Thames Gateway Bridge 5.2.2 Stratford City 5.2.3 East London Transit 5.3 East 5.3.1 London Gateway 5.3.2 Southend-on-Sea 5.4 South East 5.4.1 Ebbsfleet Valley 5.4.2 Swanscombe Peninsula 6 Criticism 7 References 8 See also 9 External links

Scope

The Thames Gateway comprises parts of 15 different local authority areas in three regions of England:

• In the Greater London Authority area parts of the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking & Dagenham, Havering, Lewisham, Greenwich and Bexley.
• In the East of England region (the northern section) the unitary authorities of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea and the Essex districts of Basildon and Castle Point. The Essex district of Rochford is also included, because Southend Airport falls within its borders.
• In the South East England region (the southern section) the unitary authority of Medway and the Kent districts of Dartford, Gravesham, Medway and Swale.

Profile

The area is home to around 1.6 million people and contains some of the most deprived wards in the country, characterised by lack of access to public transport, services, employment and affordable quality housing. Its boundary was drawn to capture the riverside strip that formerly hosted many land extensive industries, serving London and the South East, whose decline has left a legacy of large scale dereliction and contaminated land.

The area of brownfield land, farmland and marsh has been seen by successive governments and planners as having potential to act as a catalyst for the regeneration and growth and for the social advancement of the area, helping to alleviate some of the growth pressures on London and the South East. The government also believes that new private sector housing will reduce house price inflation. (See the Barker Report)

Administration

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for co-ordinating the project and development will be largely delivered by the three regional development agencies: the London Development Agency (LDA - part of the Greater London Authority), the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), as well as the national regeneration agency, English Partnerships.

The Thames Gateway project aims to improve the economy of the region through the development of marshland, farmland and brownfield land, utilising major transport infrastructure provision, and through the renaissance of existing urban conurbations. Comparisons may be drawn with developments east of Paris along the Marne valley, but here a much greater area of land will be used.

Redevelopment zones

The development is split into zones each with a different agency responsible for delivery. The zones are:

• London
  • London Thames Gateway Development Corporation
    • Lower Lea Valley
    • London Riverside - Barking & Dagenham and Havering
  • Greenwich Partnership
  • Bexley Partnership

• East
  • Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Organisation
  • Basildon Renaissance Partnership
  • Renaissance Southend

• South East
  • Kent Thameside Delivery Board - Dartford and Gravesham
  • Medway Renaissance Partnership
  • Swale Forward

Developments

Before 2003 most conspicuous development was situated west of Beckton. There have been substantial housing schemes at Chafford Hundred, Chatham and Greenhithe and there is a large shopping centre at Bluewater.

Channel Tunnel Rail Link

Template:Main Phase II of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link is currently under construction and runs through the redevelopment area from Stratford International station in Stratford City, crossing under the Thames near Dartford, to Ebbsfleet. Domestic high speed trains will also operate on the route as part of a new integrated Kent rail franchise with services terminating at St Pancras.

London

Thames Gateway Bridge

Template:Main Transport for London is currently proposing a bridge between Beckton and Greenwich to be called the Thames Gateway Bridge. Along with the extensions of the Docklands Light Railway across the river to Woolwich, this will improve links between to two sides of the river and it is hoped this help spur economic growth and reduce the stress on existing road transport links.

During public consultation, 85% of respondents were in favour of the proposed bridge. However 74% supported keeping the Woolwich Ferry open "in some form". (Source: TFL Board paper on the bridge) While the volume of traffic using the ferry would diminish with a new bridge open, no decisions on the future of this traditional resource have been made, except that usage and viability of the ferry will be reviewed after the TGB opens.

Stratford City

Template:Main The disused railway lands around Stratford are being redeveloped by the Stratford City project and will also form part of the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympic Games.

East London Transit

Template:Main

An intermodal transport scheme to connect housing developments to rail and tube.

East

London Gateway

Proposals for a container port, to be called London Gateway, on the Essex side of the Thames, on the site of the former Shell Haven oil refinery, looks likely to be approved. [1]. As a redevelopment of an exisiting industrial site, there is less of a detrimental environmental impact. The proposal includes plans for a large insdustrial and business park in the area.

Southend-on-Sea

Also on the Essex side of the Thames, at Southend-on-Sea the council is using money provided through the scheme to redevelop the town centre and seafront and create a "transport corridor" along the A13.

South East

Ebbsfleet Valley

In the area around Ebbsfleet International station an area of 790,000 sq m (8.5 million sq ft) is planned as a mixed-use development including housing, retail, residential, hotel and leisure sites.

Swanscombe Peninsula

Previously the location of the Swanscombe Cement Works, this 320 acre site, partly in both Dartford and Gravesham, is planned to have 2,700 homes and 500.000 sq ft of office space.

Criticism

Significant concerns have been raised because the Thames Gateway project proposes removing parts of and building on the North Kent Marshes, which are recognised as an Environmentally Sensitive Area by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and are largely covered by Sites of Special Scientific Interest. There are also fears of increased erosion.

In 1987 the World Commission on Environment and Development defined Sustainable Development as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. Opponents of development have argued that promoting the ecological significance of the area by increasing public accessibility to threatened marshes and wetlands, with improved transport corridors, will cause further erosion.

Proposals for a large international airport on Cliffe Marshes were dropped from the government's white paper on air transport in 2003 after they were rejected by local residents, the local council, as well as conservation charities such as the RSPB. The plan, which would have required the raising the ground level by 15m, [2] was also rejected by the Confederation of British Industry as too expensive. [3] However there is a judicial review underway looking at other options for airport expansion including the possibility of a floating airport off the Isle of Sheppey. BBC News report

The north of Kent has historically been a marshland area and is under great pressure by developers. In addition to the great variety of wild life found on and along the Thames, these marshes offer invaluable natural flood protection for London area, ever under threat of flooding.

Dave Wardle, of the Environment Agency, believes that "London and the Thames Estuary currently have one of the best tidal defence systems in the world."

The Environment Agency assesses these systems will provide a high standard of protection well beyond 2030. However they also advise that future development in the Thames Gateway must go hand in hand with flood risk management, and take account of future plans for flood protection. The Agency insists it is important that effective flood risk management of the whole Estuary is not prejudiced by early decisions and development on the Gateway. (Source: Audacity.org)

References

• Press release of Barker Report on the economic effects of building more houses in south-east England. HM Treasury, 2004. Retrieved 26 Dec 2005.
• The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East. Department for Transport (UK), 2001. Retrieved 26 Dec 2005.
• Clark, Andrew (16 Dec 2002). Thumbs down to Kent airport. The Guardian (UK national title)

See also

• UK topics

External links

• Thames Gateway London Partnership
• Essex Thames Gateway Information Group
• The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
• London's 2012 Olympic Bid
• Maps of the area