Prospects for the Thames Gateway

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Prospects for the Thames Gateway
Michael Ward CEO Kent Thameside LSE London
Seminar Feb 19th 2007
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1 Contents
1 Contents

• Map
• Context
• The Thames Gateway Interim Plan
• Delivery
• Kent Thameside
• Conclusions

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1 Contents
2 Thames Gateway Map
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3 Context I Regional Policy
1 Contents

• Despite the regional policies of successive
  governments, London and the South East just keep
  on growing
• Barlow (1940)
• Distribution of Industry Act (1944)
• South East Study (1963)
• National Plan (1965)
• But increasingly difficult to operate anything
  like old regional policies in service based
  economy

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4 Context II London
the London region has embarked on a huge
experiment of quite breathtaking audacity. It is
to become the financial and - in some respects
- the economic capital of the worldIt is driven
entirely by market forces, forces that can be
resisted but which if successfully accommodated
will bring vast benefits to these
islands. Hamish McRae, The Independent, June
7th 2006
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5 Context III London
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• Planned decentralisation
• County of London Plan (1943)
• First wave New Towns
• Greater London Development Plan (1972/1976)
• Importance of London Plan (2000 and subsequently)
• Explicit rejection of planned decentralisation
• Population and jobs growing invest to cope with
  growth
• Powers delegated to London

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6 Context IV Housing
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since London cannot accommodate its own natural
increase, the whole of the population growth of
3½ million will have to be found homes elsewhere
a population increase of well over a third for
the area outside London. (SE Study, 1963) In
the Greater South East, many cannot afford to
purchase a home and there are very severe
shortages of homes to rent for those on low and
moderate incomes As the largest growth area, the
Gateway is now playing a prime role in meeting
needs in the Greater South East and will continue
to do so for the foreseeable future. (Thames
Gateway Interim Plan, 2006)
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7 Interim Plan I Purpose
1 Contents

• a strategic framework for the Gateway as a
  distinctive social and economic unit, there to
  shape and guide investment, decisions and
  actions. A framework which joins up development
  funding and recurrent expenditure. A framework
  which integrates economic, public service and
  housing development.
• David Miliband, 23 November 2005

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8 Interim Plan II Background

• Demand for economic rationale
• Comparison with Northern Way
• Despite commitment to sustainable communities,
  concern that programme driven by housing numbers
• Comprehensive Spending Review
• Olympics
• Need to move from aspirational targets to hard
  forecasts

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9 Interim Plan III Economic

• Four Transformational Economic Opportunities
• Canary Wharf jobs to grow from 82000 to 200000
• Gateway Port Cluster Tilbury, Purfleet,
  Thamesport and Sheppey Shellhaven
• Ebbsfleet Valley new commercial centre
• Stratford City Olympics

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10 Interim Plan IV Economic Map
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11 Interim Plan V Commitments

• Skills guarantee of progression from level 3 to
  level 4 new HE FE
• Ambitious green commitments parklands low
  carbon development
• 160,000 homes (2001-16) up from 120,000
  increase mostly in London
• Further transport investment.

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12 Interim Plan VI Next Steps

• Preparation of costed plan for April 2007
• No firm commitments till spending review July
  2007

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2 The Delivery Bodies
13 Delivery I Agencies

• 7 local regeneration partnerships/LDVs
• 2 urban development corporations
• 1 Olympic Delivery Agency
• 3 sub regional partnerships
• 3 regional development agencies
• 3 Government Offices
• 2 Regional Assemblies
• 1 Mayor of London/GLA
• 2 County Councils
• London Borough/Unitary and Shire District
  Councils
• The Department of Communities and Local
  Government
• Other government departments, the Housing
  Corporation, English Partnerships, the Highways
  Agency , the Environment Agency, the Countryside
  Agency and Natural England
• And the Thames Gateway Strategic Partnership

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3 The Delivery Bodies Map
14 Delivery II Map
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5 Why the different structures?
16 Delivery III Why?

• Thames Gateway is asymmetric
• Circumstances vary from place to place
• Circumstances dictate nature and pace of
  development
• One size fits all model not appropriate

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17 Delivery IV Local Differences

• Some examples
• The nature of the development opportunity (e.g.
  Olympics, CTRL, Port)
• Patterns of land ownership is there a public
  sector land assembly role?
• The structure of local government
• 3 different systems - London
• - 2
  tier
• -
  unitary

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1 Contents
18 Kent Thameside I Map
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19 Kent Thameside II The Golden Triangle

• 3 clusters of development
• New community and office centre at Ebbsfleet
• Renewal of historic centres of Dartford and
  Gravesend
• 9 miles of Thames waterfront
• .. And Bluewater

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20 Kent Thameside III The Opportunity

• Channel Tunnel Rail Link
• Huge reserves of brownfield land
• Target of 30000 homes and 50000 jobs
• Public Transport Oriented Development- Fastrack
• Acknowledged in draft Strategic Framework as 1 of
  4 key Thames Gateway economic transformers
• Sustainability if you want to build new homes in
  the South East without concreting over the
  countryside, this is the sort of place to do it.

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21 Kent Thameside IV - Land Ownership

• Former quarries and cement works
• Major sites in and beyond central area in
  possession of Lafarge/Land Securities
• No major public sector land assembly role in
  Ebbsfleet ( though significant SEEDA role in
  support of districts in town centres and
  elsewhere)

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22 Kent Thameside V Local Government
Structure

• 2 tier, 2 districts, 2 local planning authorities
• 3 local authorities
• Kent County Council
• Dartford Borough Council
• Gravesham Borough Council

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23 Kent Thameside VI Homes and Roads
The Problem

• Planning process for Eastern Quarry and other
  major sites stalled
• Highways Agency view that capacity of road
  network inadequate to support level of planned
  new housing development
• Article 14 - enables HA to intervene in planning
  process to prevent approval
• Stalemate for over two years risk of loss of
  investor and developer confidence, loss of
  momentum, and loss of credibility for gateway
  project

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24 Kent Thameside VII Homes and Roads
The Potential
Solution

• Effective partnership working between public
  sector partners, and with private sector
• Package of measures demand management/public
  transport/roads
• Funded by public private sectors
• Developer contribution via a tariff
• Still a need for a major contribution from
  Government

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25 Kent Thameside VIII prospects

• Fastrack buses started March 30 2006 passenger
  nos well ahead of forecast second route summer
  2007 some evidence of people moving from car to
  bus
• CTRL Ebbsfleet Station finished summer 2006
• International trains November 2007
• Domestic trains 2009 17 minutes to St Pancras
• Consent for 4.5m sq ft of offices
• Prospect of 16000 jobs at Ebbsfleet by 2016
• Administrative and business centre for Thames
  Gateway
• An office centre to compete in M25 ring
• First Ebbsfleet housing starts Feb 2007

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1 Contents
26 Thames Gateway The Challenges

• Can the Gateway make a major contribution to
  increasing housing supply in the South East?
• Can the areas long-standing low growth rates be
  increased?
• Can these aims be achieved while also satisfying
  the environmental and social aspirations of the
  Interim Plan?

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27 Thames Gateway The Prospects

• Positive
• Clear vision with Interim Plan
• Improved structure with appointment of CEO
• Commitment to major infrastructure investment
  CTRL/A2/ Olympic Park
• Ambitious homes and jobs targets
• But all depends on CSR!