What is Thames Gateway?

Thames Gateway is East London, Essex and Kent along the River Thames. Previously called the East Thames Corridor, it extends from Stratford and Greenwich in London to Tilbury in Essex and Sittingbourne and Sheerness in Kent (see map [43Kb]).

Why is Thames Gateway special?

For London and the South East of England to be able to keep up with the demands of modern society, and to remain competitive as somewhere to live, work and invest, the region must have room for new development as well as the ability to preserve what already makes it attractive. Thames Gateway provides outstanding opportunities for new homes, jobs and community and leisure facilities. It has many large under used or derelict sites which can be used for development without building in the open countryside. Its network of railways and roads is expanding fast. Easy access to the rest of Europe, and to the jobs that will bring, will be even quicker once the Channel Tunnel Rail Link is in place. All this is set among fine examples of natural and historic heritage.

However, there are problems to be tackled. Traditional industries employ far fewer people, or have left the area, leaving unemployment in their wake. Parts of Thames Gateway's environment show the legacy of past carelessness with damaged land, breakers yards and overhead power lines.

What has been done so far?

In 1991 the Government commissioned a report by consultants Llewelyn Davies on the development capacity of the East Thames Corridor. Published in 1993, this confirmed the area's potential, but made it clear that for this to be realised, there needed to be a coherent overall framework for the area and arrangements to ensure that efforts to promote its economic and environmental improvement are properly co-ordinated. Without that it was likely that past patterns of piecemeal development would be repeated. In particular, it was likely that the full scale of the opportunity would not be realised.

The Thames Gateway Task Force was set up to prepare a "Planning Framework" and co-ordinate Government policy in the area. The remit of the Task Force was to create and maintain an overall vision, to inform and coordinate the activities of all concerned, and provide a clear idea of what the area can become. It was asked to foster partnership between all of these different organisations and interests, who can work together in achieving this vision.

The Thames Gateway Planning Framework

In June 1995 the Government published the Thames Gateway Planning Framework. This is a supplement to the Planning Guidance for the South East, (RPG9) issued in March 1994, which identifies what was then called the East Thames Corridor as a major potential focus for growth and development, as part of an overall shift of emphasis from the west of the South East Region to the east. The Planning Framework (RPG9a) as sub-Regional Planning Guidance provides, along with Regional Planning Guidance and Planning Policy Guidance notes, the context for the revision of statutory development plans by local authorities. It will also be reflected in decisions on planning matters taken by the Secretary of State for the Environment.