COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT News Release (286) issued by COI News Distribution
Service. 26 November 2008
The Thames Gateway
is in a strong position to weather the current economic storm and
grow in the long term, Thames Gateway Minister Margaret Beckett
announced in a major speech today.
Backed up with £9.6bn Government investment, the Thames Gateway
is a prime example of how Government intervention and support is
helping deal with the global economic pressures, the Minister said.
New projects are starting or progressing all the time and the
long-term prospects for the Gateway remain strong across the
region. For example, the Thames Gateway now has one of the largest
single inward investment projects in the UK in the last two decades.
At the Thames Gateway Forum in East London, the Minister set out
a raft of new measures to further boost the region, including
transforming it into a world-leading eco-region that will make it
a showcase for sustainable living.
A proposed "eco-quarter" is the centrepiece of a new
47-point strategy that will ensure economic development and
regeneration creates a greener way of life for residents.
The strategy is being accompanied by up to £35m being awarded to
create green and open spaces throughout the Gateway as part of the
Parklands programme.
Education is also receiving a boost. Measures were announced to
plug a skills shortage in the region through the new Thames
Gateway Skills Framework. Currently only 20% of people in the
Gateway have degree level qualifications or equivalent compared to
nearly 30% in England.
The framework is a commitment from government departments and
funding agencies, regional development agencies, universities and
colleges to work together to equip local people with the skills
needed to meet future employment needs.
Thames Gateway Minister Margaret Beckett said:
"The financial downturn poses new challenges for towns and
communities across the country. But I believe that we have sound
reasons to remain optimistic for the Gateway's long-term prospects.
"Over the past year the first contracts have been awarded
for the construction of the world's most advanced container
port, London Gateway. New schools and campuses have opened across
the region, including the Financial Skills academy at Tower
Hamlets. Construction has begun on the Olympic stadium three
months ahead of schedule.
"So now is not the time to give up on the Gateway or start
watering down our ambitions. In fact, it is more relevant today
than ever before.
"And today's eco-region strategy and Skills Plan are
just two of the projects ensuring we remain on course to ensure
the success of one of the most ambitious regeneration schemes in Europe."
Good progress has already been made since the launch of the
Gateway Delivery plan last year and confidence in the region
continues to grow:
* the first contracts have been awarded for the construction of
the UK's most advanced container port, London Gateway. This
is one of the biggest single inward investment projects in the UK
in the last two decades
* Canary Wharf is still planning to grow over the long term and
investment bank J.P. Morgan announced last week a deal with Canary
Wharf Group to start construction on a new Europe Headquarters
* new schools and campuses have opened across the region,
including the Financial Skills Academy at Tower Hamlets
* construction has begun on the Olympic stadium three months
ahead of schedule
The Thames Gateway is a huge project with unique strengths
derived from four economic drivers: Shellhaven, Ebbsfleet, Canary
Wharf and Stratford City. In the coming year more progress will be seen.
Margaret Beckett will oversee the transition this week of the day
to day management of the Gateway to the new delivery body the
Homes and Communities Agency. This means funding and expertise
will then be in one place, making it easier for investors and
local authorities to regenerate the region.
And transport links will keep on getting better, bringing jobs to
people and vice versa. The DLR Woolwich extension will open in
February. The renovation of Gillingham station will get under way.
And fast domestic services will be running between Ebbsfleet and
St Pancras this time next year.
Notes to editors
Eco-region
The eco-region will involve:
* An eco-quarter in an existing urban area, which will be a
combination of existing buildings and new development that
develops and tests new green technology and provides a showcase
for sustainable development and new initiatives. The eco-quarter
will demonstrate the economic and practical benefits of
sustainable design and technology. It will establish green
standards which build on the Government's eco-towns
programme, and provide a global example of what can be done in
existing developed areas
* Up to £35m investment in the first stages of delivering the
"Parklands Vision". Over £19m has been committed so far
for 9 projects, which will provide improved green and open spaces
and access to residents in the Gateway
* £1.25m investment in the Green Homes Programme, run by the
Energy Savings Trust, to provide more advice to residents, local
authorities and community projects on what they can do to save
energy and water
* Eco-Assessments, which will be carried out on the designs for
the ten main housing developments in the Gateway, to ensure that
the plans maximise the opportunity to develop more sustainable
living. £160,000 funding is being announced today to carry out the
first of these assessments in Kent Thameside
* Creating both an Environmental Infrastructure Fund and a
Renewable Energy Challenge Fund. Together these will support new
and innovative approaches to dealing with waste, water and
renewable energy in the Gateway
* Using the Olympics as a showcase for sustainable building,
energy efficiency and renewable energy, underlining the green
credentials of the whole region
* Creating more "green-collar jobs" in the Gateway by
encouraging research, innovation and investment in emerging green
areas - sustainable construction, low carbon energy solutions, and
innovative manufacturing.
Thames Gateway Framework
The Framework will ensure:
* Education agencies and government departments work with each
other and employers to ensure local people can take full advantage
of employment opportunities in their area through an ongoing,
pioneering, collaborative approach
* A closer match is made between skills development now and jobs
in the future, through an expansion of employer-led initiatives
such as Train to Gain and apprenticeships
* Partners working together to deliver local access to state of
the art facilities providing further and higher education
institutions in a single location, building on the highly
successful multiversity model, for example in Medway and Southend
* A firm focus on progression - ensuring that people have clear
opportunities to move up from one skills level to the next
including more readily available work-based training
* This builds on progress made in the last year, including the
Learning and Skills Council Thames Gateway Skills Plan 2008-09.
This plan announced a £1.6 billion investment in raising young
people's educational attainment and increasing participation,
as well as £850 million for new further education facilities.
Thames Gateway background
* There has been real progress in the Gateway over the years -
more than 48,000 new homes have been built between 2001 and 2007
* Office space has grown 12%
* The number of jobs has grown by around 9% compared with 4% in England
Media Enquiries: 020 7944 3049
News Releases: http://www.communities.gov.uk/newsroom