News that Lord Heseltine is to take the lead and establish a Thames Estuary Growth Commission has been welcomed by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SE LEP).
The announcement of the new Commission was made in the Chancellor George Osborne’s Budget.
While the detail still has to be finalised on how the Commission will operate, SE LEP believes the involvement of Lord Heseltine will help to reinvigorate efforts to regenerate the economy on both sides of the Thames and foster closer ties with London.
George Kieffer, Acting Chair of SE LEP, said: “There is nobody who is better qualified in the context of both the Thames Gateway and regeneration than Lord Heseltine.
“The economy of the Thames estuary is integral to the long-term prosperity of the UK, thanks to its ports and trade links to mainland Europe.
“The timing of the Commission’s announcement sends a positive message to everybody in the area that the Government is committed to ensuring communities east of London realise their full economic and social potential.”
Throughout the area, SE LEP has identified a number of significant economic drivers, including DP World London Gateway Port, Tilbury Port, London Paramount, North Kent Innovation Zone, Basildon Town Centre and Enterprise Corridor, Canvey Gateway, Southend Airport, Ebbsfleet Garden City, plus developments in Medway and Swale directly on the estuary and planned growth of key sectors such as creative and cultural industries.
George Kieffer added: “We hope to show Lord Heseltine the region at the earliest opportunity and outline the case for a new Lower Thames Crossing which we are actively encouraging business views on at the moment plus other key pieces of transport infrastructure highlighted in the Thames Gateway Strategic Partnership’s recent work.”
Rob Bennett, Chairman of Thames Gateway Kent Partnership, said: “I welcome the announcement of the Thames Estuary Growth Commission, led by Lord Heseltine. The Budget announcement is a recognition by Government of the vital importance of the Thames Gateway to the UK’s long-term growth.
“In the North Kent part of the Gateway alone we estimate there is scope to deliver an additional 58,000 homes and 59,000 jobs. But for those new homes and jobs to be provided we need to find ways of securing new investment, especially in transport infrastructure.
“We will be very keen to work with Lord Heseltine and the new Commission, together with our partners in South Essex and London, to make this next phase of our long-term ambitions for the Thames Gateway a reality”.
As a business-focused organisation, SE LEP champions the economic wellbeing of Kent, East Sussex, Essex, Medway, Southend and Thurrock, through the partnership of public and private sector organisations.
