launch edition 21st Century Kent A BLUEPRINT FOR THE COUNTY’S FUTURE Century Kent Century January 2010 st 21 1 2 21st Century Kent builds on the county’s identity and its importance as a place I am delighted to present our blueprint for As a local resident I believe passionately that a county- 21st Century Kent. This report summarises wide blueprint is the best way to plan for success in the work we have been commissioned an increasingly competitive world. Forged over time, to undertake on behalf of Kent County we need to work together to make the most of Kent’s Council over the past year in collaboration assets – its many very special places and its wonderful with its partners. landscapes – to ensure that future investment and growth is of the highest possible quality with maximum Over the last 30 years Kent has seen major change. benefit to the people and communities of Kent. Its population has grown by more than 10% from 1.45million in 1980 to 1.66 million today. Billions of We have benefited greatly from the enthusiasm and pounds have been invested in the county’s infrastructure creativity of the hundreds of people we have met, and including over £5billion on the UK’s only high speed rail I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who line. Our work builds on Kent’s powerful identity, painting took part in helping us to create this blueprint for the a portrait of how Kent can capitalise on this investment county’s future. Sir Terry Farrell, January 2010 over the next 20 to 30 years. Its aim is to describe a Kent that we are proud to hand over to future generations, “21st Century Kent paints a portrait of a one which will be enriched further and developed by county that we are proud to hand over to constructive dialogue and creative collaboration with future generations” Kent’s District and Borough Councils, Medway Council and local communities. Sir Terry Farrell Kent Century st 21 3 4 21st Century Kent is a visionary document. Drawing on a year’s consultation, it provides an exciting blueprint for the county’s future. Last year, Kent County Council launched District and Borough Councils, Medway Council, and with “Unlocking Kent’s Potential”, our framework local businesses and communities, as we know that only for regeneration across the county of Kent. in partnership will our shared ambitions be achieved. It identified the need to forward plan and develop a new vision for regeneration. In a different era, the Victorians conceived what was Looking more widely at economic prosperity, it set out a needed to make Britain the most successful country in series of challenges that called for strategies on: the world. For example, in the planning of London they had the vision to build the Underground in advance of • Business sectors constructing most of central London as we know it today. • Skills Birmingham under Joseph Chamberlain provides another • Integrated Transport example of such forward thinking and civic leadership. • Environment • Later Life Visionary forward planning is exactly what Kent needs to • What Price Growth? do now. What the Victorians started in the 19th Century, • Housing we need to do again now in Kent. Paul Carter, Leader • Culture KCC, January 2010 • Digital “21st Century Kent will help to unlock the As part of this project, we commissioned Sir Terry Farrell massive potential of the county’s economy, to produce a wide-ranging spatial vision for Kent, making Kent Century clear our ambitions for the future. To turn this vision into environment and people” st 21 action, further detailed work is being developed with Paul Carter, Leader, KCC 5 Kent is the Uk’s front door LONDON - EAST OF ENGLAND LUTON - BEDFORD Leeds Cambridge Stansted M1 M11 Airport Birmingham M6 LONDON Gravesend St Pancras THAMES 22 Thamesport mins Medway 91 VALLEY City Airport Sheerness mins 33 Ebbseet mins Margate 80 Heathrow mins Airport High Speed One 17 Ramsgate mins 59 HS1 mins Manston Port of Ramsgate Canterbury Airport M23 37 69 Gatwick mins mins Port of Dover Airport KENT Ashford HS1 Dover Brighton Folkestone 57 mins CTRL Lydd SOUTH COAST Airport EUROPE Port of Dover 6 Kent plays an increasingly critical role within the LONDON - EAST OF ENGLAND regional economy of the Greater South East LUTON - BEDFORD Leeds Cambridge Kent is a key part of the UK’s only global Kent is the regional focus for international trade with Stansted M1 M11 major ports at Medway, Sheerness and Dover (which has Airport super-region, the Greater South East. It is plans for a new terminal that will double its capacity) and Birmingham the UK’s front door. a major regional airport at Manston in East Kent. M6 LONDON Gravesend St Pancras The Greater South East drives the UK economy. London’s THAMES 22 Thamesport The county has always had strong links with the City of mins Medway 91 status as a major world city allows the UK to compete VALLEY City Airport Sheerness mins London, and Kent’s commuters have helped to maintain 33 Ebbseet mins Margate internationally. The region is one of the world’s biggest Heathrow 80 mins London’s status as a centre of excellence in international Airport markets for UK businesses and revenue generated by 17 Ramsgate mins 59 finance and business services. Kent’s connectivity mins its high value economy supports investment in other HS1 Manston Port of Ramsgate is attracting an increasing number of international Canterbury Airport regions. It is the only region within the UK that can companies to Kings Hill and other high quality locations, M23 compete with the major regional economies of Europe, 37 69 while retail centres at Bluewater, Maidstone, Chatham and Gatwick mins mins Port of Dover Airport KENT the Americas and Asia. Ashford HS1 Dover Tunbridge Wells attract business from across the region. Brighton Folkestone 57 Kent is the UK’s front door. Its international rail link mins CTRL provides connections to mainland Europe with Lydd SOUTH COAST Airport international stations at Ashford and Ebbsfleet. It has the UK’s only high speed domestic rail service. This has transformed travel times within the county and EUROPE integrated relatively isolated parts of Kent with the Century Kent Century regional and metropolitan economies. For example st Folkestone is now within an hour of St Pancras Station. 21 7 UKC, Students on campus Ashford International Station Kings Hill, West Malling 8 Kent has the region’s greatest potential for successful economic growth Billions of pounds of recent investment whole county is now integrated more closely with the in Kent provides an historic opportunity metropolitan economy thanks to HS1. Its growth areas all benefit from regional connectivity and access to some of to plan confidently for the county’s long the best countryside in the UK. Kent has the UK’s largest term future. quantity of high quality affordable development land, creating unrivalled opportunities for high value business At Bluewater, a former chalk quarry has become one of and housing growth. the largest shopping centres in the world. At Ebbsfleet, new parkland and infrastructure is being built in order to Cambridge Milton Peterborough support the creation of a major town centre on the edge Keynes of London. Land reclamation at Rochester Riverside is now complete and work has started to create a vibrant London new community on a magnificent waterfront location. Thames Gateway Ten years ago Medway had no higher education. Now the Universities at Medway have over 10,000 students. Maidstone Fremlin Walk has transformed Maidstone Town Centre. Ashford The Kentish Flats Offshore Wind Farm has been built, Kent Dover a significant first step in creating a new environmental technologies sector in the county. Growth areas and growth points in the Greater South East Century Kent Century Kent has the region’s greatest potential for successful Thames Gateway Growth Area st 21 economic growth. It is adjacent to London and the Growth Areas Growth Points 9 Canary Wharf Tate Gallery, Liverpool St Pancras Credit Talke Photography 10 Inspired leadership and vision built the successes of the past Success depends on a coherent long have also successfully re-invented themselves based term vision and effective partnerships. on effective local partnerships and far-sighted local leadership. Inspired leadership and vision built the successes of the past. The Victorians understood the importance of thinking boldly and planning for the future. Their . achievements were inspired by great civic ambition and long term planning. They recognised that capital investment in infrastructure and place-making pays enormous dividends over time. This is how the UK’s great nineteenth century cities were built. More recent examples show the continuing importance Museum Transport © London of a coherent long term vision and effective partnerships. Thames Embankment Piccadilly Circus Over the past 30 years, an international financial district at Canary Wharf has been built on derelict docks in East London with 90,000 high value jobs created in this period Within the last 10 years, billions of pounds have been Century Kent Century invested to create one of Europe’s finest city centres st in Liverpool. Birmingham, Newcastle and Manchester 21 11 Inspired leadership and a coherent long term vision will shape Kent’s future success in partnership with businesses and local communities KCC’s Regeneration Framework ‘Unlocking Kent’s of new strategic opportunities. It will enable partners to Potential’ sets a policy context for the whole county. deliver projects at a local level with the confidence that 21st Century Kent puts forward a coherent long term individual projects and initiatives are consistent with a vision in support of this document.