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Nicola Dempsey and Mike Jenks

Thames Gateway The project centre for culture, leisure and education, which will incorporate the University of The area of land currently houses Essex. approximately 1.6 million people and measures approximately 80,000 hectares Medway Estuary: town expansion of (ODPM, no date) and falls into the Sittingbourne, which will incorporate counties of Essex, Kent and . The high-tech industry at the Sittingbourne (Figure C.3) is a UK Research Centre; waterfront regeneration national priority for regeneration and and residential development at Medway. growth. The redevelopment of this area While the aim is to provide sustainable could reduce pressure for greenfield settlements, and much needed homes in housing and industrial development, as the south-east, there have been some well as helping to mitigate the urban out concerns. It is feared that there will be migration from London (CPRE, 2004). The inadequate investment in transport Gateway has the potential for providing at infrastructure, and the reliance on ‘planning least 128,500 new homes and over gain’ for the provision of social housing. 200,000 new jobs in the area by 2016. Doubts are also expressed at the absence of skills needed to plan and design sustainable Sustainability features communities (Gardiner, 2004). Development includes: Inner Gateway: ongoing development in References and links the finance and business district of Canary Wharf; recent regeneration project at the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) (2004) Greenwich Millennium Village (Figure Thames Gateway: Making Progress, CPRE, London. C.4) and the . East of England Regional Assembly, the and the South East England Regional Riverside: advanced Assembly (2004) Growth and Regeneration in the manufacturing and engineering at Gateway:Interregional Planning Statement by the ; high-density riverside Thames Gateway Regional Planning Bodies, Office settlement at Barking Reach; housing of the Deputy Prime Minister, London. expansion at Thamesmead; regeneration English Partnerships (no date) Greenwich Peninsula: investing in the 21st Century, Sector of Woolwich town centre. Light Design. Central Gateway: new residential Gardiner, J. (2004) Concrete Bungle? Housing development at Thurrock to integrate with Today, No. 38, pp. 24–26. existing commercial development and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2003) Sustainable Communities: Building for The Future, urban areas at Grays and Lakeside; mixed- Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, London. use development at North Dagenham; Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (no date) major business and residential Overview of the Thames Gateway. Retrieved from development at Ebbsfleet (Figure C.5) the World Wide Web 22nd August 2004 with high-speed transport link to central http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_ London and Europe. communities/documents/pdf/odpm_comm_pdf_ 030604.pdf South-east Essex: regeneration of Basildon town centre; establishment of a regional

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Conclusion: future forms for city living?

South-east Inner Outer Central Essex Gateway London Riverside Gateway Basildon

Southend Barking/ Havering Canvey/ Stratford/ Shellhaven Leaside/ Riverside Royals Isle of Dogs Thurrock Riverside

Greenwich Woolwich/ Peninsula Belvedere Grain & East Erith Greenwich Deptford/ / Medway Kent Thameside Greenwich

Sittingbourne/ Sheerness

Medway Estuary

Gateway area Zones of Change Urban areas 1991 Source: ODPM © Crown copyright reserved 2002.

Figure C.3 Planned expansion along the estuary. (Source: after ODPM, 2003.)

Figure C.4 Figure C.5 Greenwich Millennium Village, a flagship sustainable settlement. Plans for Ebbsfleet sustainable urban extension. (Source: TBA.) (Source: English Partnerships)

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