Transforming Thurock

Thurrock Thames GatewayDevelopment Corporation

Transforming Thurrock2004-2012

SOUTH OCKENDON

AVELEY

LAKESIDE

PURFLEETWEST THURROCK

GRAYS

TILBURY

LINFORD

EAST TILBURY

COALHOUSE FORT

STANFORD-LLE-HHOPELONDON GATEWAY

CORRINGHAM

TILBURY FORT

CHADWELLST MARY

PURFLEET MASTER PLANJOBS 1,000 HOMES 3,000

LAKESIDE/WEST THURROCK MASTER PLANJOBS 6,500 HOMES 2,500

GRAYS TOWN CENTRE MASTER PLANJOBS 4,500 HOMES 4,000

AVELEY/SOUTH OCKENDON MASTER PLANJOBS 700 HOMES 1,400

SOUTH EAST THURROCK MASTER PLANJOBS 900 HOMES 1,000

EAST THURROCK MASTER PLANJOBS 15,000 HOMES 700

THURROCK MASTER PLANS

IN October 2003, I and TomGardiner began setting up theDevelopment Corporation to bejoined in early 2004 by my Boardcolleagues and later by NiallLindsay as CEO with his staff.No tool kit was available settingout how to create theorganisation and few staff left inour sponsoring department withany experience gained from the

previous wave of development corporations. There was no alternative, therefore, but to set

about working it out from first principles forourselves, which we did with much appreciatedhelp from Jeff Channing and his staff at theDepartment. We drafted all the principledocuments we needed including a complete suiteof governance documents and operationalmanagement procedures such as IT, risk controland project management. Some were adapted foruse by the two development corporations whichfollowed us and others recognised by the NationalAudit Office as exemplars of good practice.

Pages 6,7,8 and 9 describe how we set about ourtask.

At its heart was the promotion of economicdevelopment and creating the confidence neededto secure private investment - in our view,regeneration was jobs led and private capital theonly sustainable source of long term funding - butit encompassed much more including learning andskills, housing, environment, community servicesand infrastructure, open spaces, leisure andculture and transport.

We further identified five key economic hubswhich are described more fully on pages 10 to 15.

With this policy framework in place, theCorporation moved firmly into the delivery andimplementation phase of its lifecycle. Partnershipworking was crucial to the implementation of theCorporation’s regeneration plans and its

successful working relationship with its keypartner Thurrock Council was critical.

The achievements secured in thisimplementation phase are set out in detail later,but highlights include:

■ exceeding both the broad housing and jobsperformance targets set by our sponsor;

■ building the arts and culture complex includ-ing the Royal Opera House production facility andthe National Skills Academy for the PerformingArts at the High House Production Park and thefirst phase of the HE/FE learning campus inGrays;

■ getting adopted a statutory planning policyframework enabling the expansion of the Port ofTilbury and the retail complex in the LakesideBasin;

■ assembling the site for a communityhospital in Grays and acquiring 50 of the 80 acresneeded to secure the regeneration of Purfleet.

I am proud of the achievements of the board,staff and partners and I hope you will enjoy read-ing our story from 2004 to 2012.

We have acheived significant delivery momen-tum and how this will be maintained by ThurrockCouncil is set out on pages 24 and 25. I wish themand the community and businesses of Thurrockwell.

2

TransformingThurrock

Foreword - Will McKee CBE Chair Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation

INDEX:

P3................Thurrock CharacteristicsP4-5 ............Why a UDC was needed.P6-9 ............Getting started: The visionP10-15 ........Getting started: The five key hubs.P16-17 ........Making things happen.P18-22 ........Transformational schemes.P23..............Helping communities.P24-25 ........Maintaining the Momentum.P26..............Board and Committee memberships.P27..............New jobs and homes maps..

WITH a population approaching 150,000Thurrock is characterised by sub-urbandevelopment south of the A13 with morescattered rural communities in the north ofthe borough. The area has considerablecommercial activity centred along itsriverfront and astride major transport nodes.

Situated at the centre of the ThamesGateway, Thurrock is strategically positionedon several key transport corridors:

■ The Thames■ The M25 and A13/A127 roads■ The C2C rail link to Fenchurch Street

and Canary Wharf via interchange at WestHam)

It has many large and important industrialsites, including the Coryton Oil refinery andPort of Tilbury.

Thurrock is also home to the LakesideShopping Centre, one of the largest retailattractions in Europe. Extensive brownfieldsites dominate Thurrock’s riverfront andprovide some of the greatest residential, commercial and industrialdevelopment opportunities inthe country.

The role of Thurrock Thames GatewayDevelopment Corporation was not only toregenerate the physical fabric of theBorough, but also to unlock its economic,environmental and social potential soenabling the delivery of new housing,developing skills and creating new, excitingand innovative employment opportunities.Building on Thurrock’s position as a centrefor international trade, the Corporationaimed to capitalise on the area’s richmaritime heritage, maximise the value ofthe river and the Borough’s green hinterlandand empower Thurrock’s diversecommunities, to provide an exciting, vibrantand sustainable place to live, work and visit.

From 2004 to 2012 the Corporation workedhard to forge strong partnerships with thepublic, private and voluntary sectors,addressing complex challenges to take fulladvantage of the extensive development andregeneration opportunities that existed in

many areas across the Borough.

3

■■ The Development Corporationcelebrated the past by creating

iconic places to visit including thePurfleet Timeline - but as always,

the driving force has been to lookto the future for Thurrock’s young

people, like Ormiston Academy students

Tysian Woodand Corrina Bright.


Thurrock Characteristics

THURROCK lies on the River Thames to theeast of London, providing one of the mostexciting development opportunities in thecountry, covering an area of 64 square mileswhich has more than 18 miles of riversidestretching along the Thames Estuary.

London

Essex

River Thames

LondonKent

THURROCK

THE regeneration of the Thames Gatewaywas identified in the Communities Plan as abroad-based project to accommodate signifi-cant housing and economic growth, throughthe utilisation of brownfield development andurban renewal. The Plan placed a strongemphasis on the environmental quality ofgreen open space and urban public realm.

In setting out its proposals for the ThamesGateway the Government stated that itwould:

“ … set up bodies with a clear remit andthe necessary powers to drive forwarddevelopment. The arrangements willoperate with the full engagement of keylocal players and partners including theprivate sector and will offer locally tai-lored means to deal with land assembly,master planning and localinfrastructure to help securecomprehensive regeneration”.

As part of this broad delivery agenda, theGovernment set out proposals to establish anUrban Development Corporation (UDC) inThurrock, to oversee the regeneration and development of the borough. UDCs arestatutory bodies that have a developmentagency function to promote and deliverregeneration projects as well as a planningfunction to determine major planningapplications within their operational area.UDCs, by their nature, are limited lifespan

organisations set up to meet their deliverytargets within a set period of time and thenclose.

After a period of public consultation (April -May 2003) Thurrock DevelopmentCorporation was established by StatutoryInstrument (2003 No. 2896) on the 29October 2003 with a lifespan of 7 years. TheThurrock Development Corporation (Areaand Constitution) Order determined that theCorporation’s operational boundary should becongruent with that of Thurrock Council andthat the work of the Corporation should beoverseen by a Board of 13 members,including a Chair and Deputy Chair. TheBoard was to be appointed by the Secretaryof State.

Whilst the Corporation was beingestablished as an operational entity, theOffice of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)published on 31st March 2005, the ThamesGateway Strategy. The stated aim of theStrategy was:

“To use growth to regenerate anddevelop the Thames Gateway in asustainable way. We want to createan attractive environment wherepeople will choose to live, work andspend their leisure time.”

4


Why an Urban Development Corporation?Government Policy and Objectives

“Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future” (published bythe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) in February 2003

and known as the Sustainable Communities Plan) set out theGovernment’s aim to deliver successful, thriving and inclusive

communities for all.

The statutory objectives and powers of theCorporation are set out in section 136 of theLocal Government, Planning and Land Act1980. The Corporation’s broad statutoryobjective was to:● bring land and buildings into effectiveuse;● encourage the development of existingand new industry and commerce;● create an attractive environment; and● ensure that housing and social facilitiesare available to encourage people to live andwork in the area.

For the purpose of achieving the regenera-tion of its area, the Corporation could:● acquire, hold, manage, reclaim anddispose of land and other property;● carry out building and other operations;● seek to ensure the provision of water,electricity, gas, sewerage and other services;● carry on any business or undertaking forthe purposes of regenerating its area; and● generally do anything necessary or expe-dient for this purpose, or for purposes inci-dental to those purposes.

Within its founding legislation, theSecretary of State defined the overall objec-tive of the Thurrock Thames GatewayDevelopment Corporation as:

“To promote and deliver thesustainable regeneration andgrowth of Thurrock, within thecontext of the national policy set outin the Sustainable CommunitiesPlan, the plans for the widerThames Gateway sub-region, andfor the eastern region as a whole”.

From a Baseline study commissioned byODPM, Thurrock was identified as having awide range of complex land-use and landassembly problems that constrained housingand economic growth as well as pockets ofmultiple deprivation amongst the highest inthe Country. The Thurrock Baseline Study

concluded:“The area’s economic base is

characterised by the logistics anddistribution sectors, resulting in anarrowly based and relatively lowvalue economy. The area hasconsiderable commercial activityscattered along its riverfront andan abundance of brownfield anddegraded greenfield land,particularly to the south of the A13.

“Some of Thurrock’s communitiesexperience the most acute levels ofmultiple deprivation in SouthEssex. This is characterised bypoor quality, unpopular andisolated social housing, high levelsof anti-social behaviour and youthcrime, under achievement atschool, poor provision of primaryhealth care and dentistry services,teenage pregnancy and higher thanaverage levels of unemployment. Insome locations, these factors con-tribute to widespread povertyand a culture of dependency.

5


Following the establishment of theCorporation as a Non Departmental PublicBody on 29th October 2003, the firstappointment made to the Board by theSecretary of State was the Chair, WillMcKee. During the period October 2003 toOctober 2004 Will began the task ofappointing the other 12 Corporation Boardmembers. All members were selected througha competitive process supervised by theOffice of the Commissioner for PublicAppointments (OCPA) and appointed by theSecretary of State. With the exception of theChair (whose appointment became effectivefrom 29 October 2003) members’appointments became effective from 1January 2004 with the remit to:

■ contribute to the direction of theCorporation to ensure that regeneration isachieved, while having regard to the need toensure the highest standards of regularity,propriety and value for money in the use ofpublic funds;

■ contribute to the formulation ofstrategies and programmes to achieveregeneration;

■ contribute to the direction of theCorporation in the production of thecorporate plan strategy which will make

economic and effective use of public funds;■ represent the Corporation in public,promote its interests and communicate itsaims to the ODPM, Corporation staff andothers;

■ make full use of any property or commer-cial experience, special local knowledge orother relevant skills in reaching decisions;

■ help to ensure the Corporation’sactivities conform with legislativerequirements and bear in mind the collectiveresponsibility of the Board for the conduct ofCorporation business;

■ help to ensure the Corporation achievesmaximum value for money from itsadministrative expenditure; and

■ avoid bringing discredit to the Corporationor its relations with Government.

In the period up to 31 March 2005, theBoard focused its attention on the strategic,operational and administrative responsibili-ties of the Corporation as articulated in itsfirst Business Plan for ODPM. The primaryrole of the Corporation was to bring forwardthe development and regeneration ofThurrock and to create a thriving climate ofinvestment across the borough. The

6


TTGDCs vision was to secure the comprehensive andsustainable housing and economic growth of Thurrock,

through the structured development and regeneration ofthe borough for the benefit of new and existing

communities and for visitors to the area, placingemphasis on environmental quality and public realm.

The Corporation’s vision was underpinned by six complementary corporate objectives:

●● Improving the supply of housing ●● Developing skills●● Generating jobs and diversifying employment ●● Balancing the social structure of the borough ●● Improving infrastructure and transport access●● Improving the quality of the environment and public realm.

Getting started: The vision

7


Corporation aimed to achieve this throughcarefully targeted strategic interventions toprovide the catalyst for wider structuralchange in the socio economic environment inthe borough.

Having established the Board, the nexturgent task was to recruit the Corporation’soperational staff. In October 2004 NiallLindsay was appointed Chief Executive andover the following six months Peter Bassettwas appointed as Director of Planning andStrategy, Sean O’Donnell as Director ofResources and Tom Gardiner as Director ofDelivery. By December 2005 a working staffcomplement of just under 30 professionalswas in post to provided the team supportnecessary for the new planning service, landand property work, project delivery work andmarketing and communications.

During the same period the Corporation’steam negotiated the terms of the PlanningOrder that would establish the Corporation’splanning function as the local planningauthority for the area with ODPM andThurrock Council.

The Corporation moved into its newheadquarters at Gateway House in Purfleetin August 2005 and with the confirmation ofthe Thurrock Development Corporation(Planning Functions) Order 2005 on 12thOctober 2005 the Corporation’s Board and itsExecutive team were now ready to open forbusiness.

At the time the Corporation wasestablished the town planning policyenvironment in England and Wales wasgoing through a significant period of changein its approach to statutory developmentplan making following the enactment of thePlanning and Compulsory Purchase Act2004.

This required the establishment ofRegional Spatial Strategies (RSS) to setregional growth targets for new homes andjobs which local councils would have toinclude in a new suite of statutory develop-ment plans for their respective areas knownas Local Development Frameworks (LDFs).

In Thurrock the existing development planwas the Local Plan that set out policies forthe Borough for the period 1997 to 2001. In1998 Thurrock Council became a UnitaryAuthority and it began drafting a newstatutory development plan called a UnitaryDevelopment Plan.

Neither the Local Plan nor the emerging

● Continued on next page.

“Mind the Gap” - ThePlanning Policy Vacuum& Corporation Growth

Targets

“We have worked with international entrepreneurs and

businesses to ensure the platform was in place for projects like the London Gateway Port

and the expansion of the Port of Tilbury.”- Development Corporation Chief Executive Niall Lindsay.

● From previous pageUnitary Development Plan provided relevantpolicy support for the new regional growthtargets emanating from the RSS for the Eastof England. For the Thurrock area the RSSgrowth targets were set at 26,000 new jobsand 18,500 new homes to be deliveredbetween the period 2000 and 2021. TheCorporation was tasked by ODPM tocontribute to the delivery of these growthtargets during its nominated lifetime.

When the Corporation was establishedthere was therefore a complete planningpolicy vacuum in the borough within which ithad to deliver its regeneration goals.

The Corporation’s first task was thereforeto establish a proper RegenerationFramework. After extensive partner andstakeholder engagement, at the end of 2005,the Corporation published “Transformingand Revitalising Thurrock: A Framework forRegeneration and Sustainable Growth”. TheRegeneration Framework defined the chal-lenges facing the Corporation and set out 9Strategic Goals as follows;

1. Contribute to the provision of sufficientcapacity to meet strategic growth targets,including 26,000 new jobs and 18,500 newhomes, in a sustainable way, by 2021

2. Increase participation and attainment inlifelong learning and skills development

3. Create a wide range of jobs with a future4. Increase the choice and quality in housing

provision for everyone5. Provide modern community infrastructure

and service delivery6. Enhance the quality and use of valuable

green space7. Increase opportunities for entertainment,

leisure and culture8. Ensure that all parts of Thurrock are

accessible to from and within the Borough9. Ensure that development and

regeneration take place in anenvironmentally sensitive wayThe Development Corporation then

commissioned a series of technical studies inorder to produce and publish a Spatial Planto demonstrate, in broad terms, where thejobs and homes targets would be distributedaround the borough with reference to theapplication of the 9 Strategic Goalsarticulated in the Regeneration Framework.The Spatial Plan was published by theCorporation in August 2007.

This was followed by a series of local areaMaster Plans for the various settlements inThurrock which were designed to providearea specific guidance to land use planning.These were non statutory plans in that theydid not form part of the statutory LDF planmaking process the Council was engaged inbut they nevertheless formed a materialconsideration for the Corporation’s planningcommittee and in any planning appeals inthe absence of an adopted LDF. TheCorporation’s Master Plans were approved bythe Corporation’s Board after extensiverounds of public consultation to review:

Issues and options,The preferred option informed by public consultation, An approved Master Plan.

The Corporation has published sevenMaster Plans, as follows;

■■ Purfleet Master Plan - June 2007■■ Aveley & South Ockendon MasterPlan - November 2007■■ Lakeside & West Thurrock MasterPlan - November 2008■■ Grays Town Centre Master Plan -March 2009■■ East Thurrock Master Plan - April2009■■ South East Thurrock Master Plan -November 2009■■ North Grays Master Plan June - 2010

The policies set out in the various MasterPlans and more particularly their outputswere brought together and summarised inthe Corporation’s Thurrock RegenerationPlan which was published in June 2010.

8


9


The Corporation’s Spatial Planning andMaster Planning work was running wellahead of the Council’s detailed work onformulating its LDF Core Strategy whichwas just beginning.

The Corporation and the Council thereforeworked very closely during the Master Planscoping and development work to ensure thepolicies and outputs flowing from thevarious Master Plans converged with theemerging policy framework in the LDF.

As a consequence the Corporation’s MasterPlans have achieved something like 90% pol-icy convergence with the Council’s LDFwhich was found sound by the PlanningInspectorate during November 2011 andsubsequently adopted by the Council. Thislevel of policy consensus is testament to thehard work and intellectual effort of bothplanning teams at the Corporation and at theCouncil.

Beneath the Master Plans there are aseries of Development Briefs and DesignGuides which provide more detailed adviceon how specific sites should be developed orwhat types of design response are required inparticular locations. The Corporation hasproduce the following list of Briefs andDesign Guides;

■■ Tilbury Marshes & RiverfrontDevelopment Brief■■ Arisdale Design Brief (Aveley & SouthOckendon)■■ Grays Town Centre North DesignBrief■■ South Grays & Grays RiversideDesign Brief■■ Purfleet Centre DevelopmentFramework■■ South Stifford Framework forChange■■ West Thurrock RiversideDevelopment Brief■■ Bata Factory Design Brief (EastTilbury)

These proposals are now familiar to both

the public and investors and are valuable indirecting sustainable development,informing planning applications, providingdesign advice, identifying infrastructureprovision and ensuring that developmentmeets the needs of the community.The significance of this suite of plans is thatthey give the policy underpinning for thedelivery of the targets of 18,500 homes and26,000 jobs set by the Government for theCorporation to achieve. In fact, the plansexceed the targets by setting out policies forthe delivery of 20,995 homes and 29,814 jobs,distributed as indicated on maps on page 27.

Throughout the Corporation’s life it hasdevoted a great deal of time to publicconsultation and community engagement,particularly in the early years as itscomprehensive suite of regenerationdocuments and policies developed.

This was partly to ensure that its policieswere properly ventilated amongst keyinterest groups but more importantly toensure the legitimacy of the policy outputswith the communities likely to be affected bythem. That is not to say that theCorporation’s Board avoided making some-times difficult decisions, particularly inrelation to a number of housing allocations,but it was able to do so with the benefit ofthe fullest information and feedback fromconsultation.

As part of the community engagementprocess, the Corporation joined the Board ofthe Local Strategic Partnership and assumedresponsibility for the management anddirection of the Sustainable CommunitiesSub Group. The Corporation also joined theBoard of the Thames Gateway South EssexPartnership to contribute to the strategicissues affecting the wider South Essexregion, as Thurrock and the Corporationshare mutual interests with South Essexover issues such as health, education,transport and infrastructure provision.

ONE of the key operating principles that theCorporation made clear at the outset was that theregeneration strategy for the borough was eco-nomic and not housing led.

The local economy in Thurrock is, in the main,founded on retailing, port and shipping relatedactivity and logistics, although there are someimportant and major manufacturing companiesbased in the borough.

The regeneration strategy was therefore aimedat playing to the borough’s existing economicstrengths whilst encouraging new sector entrantsto diversify the economic base of the Borough tomitigate against the potential impact of externalmacro economic shocks.

The Corporation pursued its Economic strategyby identifying five economic “Hubs” in theborough and produced a series of policies boththrough its Master Plans and through itsEconomic Development Strategy andImplementation Plan to support and grow thehubs.

The five economic hubs identified to pursue thisstrategy were identifuied as■ London Gateway■ Tilbury■ Grays■ Lakeside and West Thurrock■ Purfleet

The development of these hubs was plannedaround five criteria, Business Services,Recreation & Leisure, EnvironmentalTechnologies and Energy, Creative Industries andPublic Sector Services.

The Corporation’s Economic DevelopmentStrategy and Implementation Plan were pub-lished in 2009 and were directly incorporated intothe Council’s emerging LDF.

●● London GatewayLONDON Gateway is Thurrock’s “SpatialTransformer”, an opportunity to deliversomething in the Borough of national andinternational significance.

By the end of 2013 the UK’s new deep sea port,on the site of the former Shellhaven refinery inEast Thurrock, should receive its first ships.

The project includes Europe’s largest logisticspark extending to over 9m square feet adjacent tothe port.

Development Corporation Director of Delivery,Tom Gardiner, was closely involved with the proj-

ect since its inception, first through the ODPMand then the Corporation.

He said: “To bring of something of thismagnitude takes a huge amount of work. TheDevelopment Corporation played a significantrole in bringing together all the parties and creat-ing the confidence that Thurrock was the rightplace to locate this facility.

“We created the platform and the rightenvironment for it to flourish by acting as amediator, a broker and by supporting andfacilitating the infrastructure required.”

During the early years of the Corporation’slifetime it spent a great deal of time lobbyinggovernment and ministers to determine theplanning application originally submitted by P&Oin January 2002.

After two “Minded to Grant” letters issued ayear apart by the Minister at the time,planning permission was finally granted in May2007 following the closure of the Planning Inquirynearly 4 years earlier in September 2003. In theinterim the P&O business was acquired by DPworld in 2006.

The planning permission came with somethinglike 90 conditions that required to be dischargedto implement the permission. Further, given the

10


Getting started: The Five Economic Hubs

■■ DP World Chairman, SultanAhmed Bin Sulayem andCEO Simon Moore in front

of Berth One at LondonGateway.

11

protracted planning process, the original Section106 agreement (Planning Gain), had to bereworked and renegotiated as the operatingtriggers in the agreement were all time relatedrather than event based. Given the strategicimportance of this project to the south east andthe national economy this work was serviced by adedicated planning team at the Corporation.

The works have included dredging andreclaiming land from the Thames Estuary toallow the world’s largest container ships to bringconsumer goods closer to the point ofconsumption than existing major national deepwater ports.

The port has the potential to create 21,000 newjobs in Thurrock. Owned and operated by DPWorld, it will provide the UK with its first 21stCentury deep-sea container port integrated withmore than nine million square feet of logisticsspace for the distribution, manufacturing andhigh-tech sectors. The port, which will be one ofthe most automated and efficient in the world,will add an additional 3.5million TEU (twentyfoot equivalent units) to the UK’s port capacity.

The development of the Port will provide theUK with one of the most important and largestcontainer port facilities in Europe and will entaila level of Foreign Direct Investment of about£1.5Bn● TilburyTHE Port of Tilbury is a key entry port for theSouth East and UK economy. The existing PortEstate extends to 800 acres which accommodatesa diverse range of businesses and industries as

well as a cruise terminal.The Port comprises a multi modal multi cargo

hub with 30 operational births. As part of aregular dialogue with key businesses andinvestors in the borough, the Port, which isowned by Forth Ports plc, approached theCorporation in 2007 to discuss the company’sincreasing concern over its future tradingcapacity.

The Port was severely constrained for space,given the location of the road and railwaypositioned to the north, and its only expansionoptions were to fill in dock space or reclaim landin the Thames. Neither option was particularlypractical and in any event the strategy wouldhave only been capable of accommodatingsomething like six years of future expansion andgrowth for the Port.

Working with the Port’s senior managementteam 65 acres of potential expansion land to thenorth on Tilbury Marshes were identified asbeing necessary to advance the proposal. TheCorporation fully evaluated and consulted on theproject through its South East Thurrock MasterPlan which provided the policy framework for thePort’s expansion to secure its economic future,which in turn became part of the Council’s LocalDevelopment Framework.

The Port’s expansion plans will provide 900,000square feet of mixed use warehousing and lorryparking. This represents 20% of the existingwarehousing provision within the port boundaryand the development will create up to 1,500 netadditional jobs.


And the Economic Development Strategy

■■ The Port of Tilbury and land designated for expansion.

● GraysGRAYS is the dominant town in the borough andforms the main administrative and municipal hub.The regeneration opportunities in the four othereconomic hubs required the private sector todeliver the projects, albeit with elements of publicsector pump priming through the Corporation insome instances.

The distinguishing characteristic of Grays as aneconomic hub was the opportunity to grow theprovision of high quality public services to attractand cater for highly skilled residents across theBorough. As a consequence, the regenerationinterventions necessitated a significant degree ofpublic sector led and funded projects. The keyprojects that the Corporation was keen to deliver,with other public sector partners, were a newfurther education college and learning campus insouth Grays and a New Generation CommunityHospital in north Grays at Hogg Lane.

Working with South Essex College (SEC) andthe Council, Hawke’s Close, a site in south Grays,was assembled with a confirmed CompulsoryPurchase Order. The College’s original intentionfor the site was for a single 400,000 square footbuilding based on the design guidance andrequirements of the Learning and Skills Council(LSC).

The LSC promised funding for the Grays collegewas cancelled, to the bitter disappointment of theCorporation, the Council and many others. It wasparticularly disappointing to SEC as they hadincurred significant costs in designing the buildingon the LSC’s direction and encouragement.

With admirable resilience and determination,SEC agreed to review and revise it proposals andcontinue with the project. The layout of the

proposed learning campus was redesigned toprovide two new buildings based on a

construction budget that could befinanced through SEC’s own resources.

The Corporationacquired and

demolished Marston House, the major building onthe site, and consolidated its ownership with theCouncil’s land holding to provide the site.

The Corporation granted planning permissionfor the site in February 2012 and SEC began workon developing the site. The approach taken by theCorporation and its partners finally secured someLearning and Skills Council funding

The Corporation began a dialogue with thePrimary Care Trust (PCT) to review theopportunities in Grays for the development of aNew Generation Community Hospital. A site atHogg Lane, north Grays, was regarded as the opti-mal location for patient convenience and accessibil-ity to the town centre and transport links.

The Corporation agreed to be the lead partner forassembling the site and dealing with the planningissues. To secure and assemble the site theCorporation successfully promoted acompulsory purchase order with a view toaccommodating a 90,000 sq.ft New GenerationCommunity Hospital to be procured by the PCT.

Protracted negotiations took place with the PCT,the Strategic Health Authority and the

Department of Health over the following threeyears and by 2009 a Memorandum of

12



■■ Thurrock’s planned new learning campus will raise educational aspirations.

■■ Grays’ former Post Office has beenrefurbished and brought back to life by theDevelopment Corporation as an innovativetraining, business and community facility.

13

Understanding had been concluded between thePCT and the Corporation setting out the roles andresponsibilities of both parties to make the projecthappen.

Unfortunately, within a year it became apparentthat the PCT would not be able to continue withthe project due to increasing concern over projectedrevenue costs against earlier projects in otherlocations, in addition to very significant overspends in its budgets.

By this time the Corporation had acquired 75%of the site and had committed building contracts torelocate the Royal Mail Group and the TerritorialArmy to free up the site for the proposed hospitaldevelopment.

By the end of the Corporation’s life in April 2012,it was unclear as to whether the PCT and othersector providers would be in a position to take thehealth proposals for the site forward. It would be agreat pity if not, given the time effort and resourcethe Corporation put into the preparatory work forthis project, and more importantly the healthneeds of the local population● Lakeside/West ThurrockTHE Lakeside retail basin is a key economicdriver for Borough and largest jobs contributorafter London Gateway - potentially up to 6,500new jobs. At around 2.4 million square feet, it isone of the largest agglomerations of retail floorspace in western Europe.

Whilst undertaking the preparatory work for itsMaster Plan for Lakeside & West Thurrock theCorporation evaluated potential floor spacecapacity increases for a range of uses to securenew jobs at Lakeside.

The Corporation concluded that Lakeside couldaccommodate up to an additional 750,000 squarefeet gross of new leisure space, up to an additional1.2m square feet gross of new retail floor space andup to an additional 1.3m square feet gross ofemployment uses.

When the draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS)for the East of England was published by the Eastof England Regional Assembly for consultation in2005, within the plan there was a policy whichproposed that there should be no net increase inretail floor space at Lakeside.

In the Corporation’s view, limiting a keyeconomic driver for the Borough and region madeno sense in a growth area. Particularly since therewas no evidence base to support the draft policyproposition.

The Corporation devised a comprehensivestrategy for challenging the policy andcommissioned detailed retail and economic impactresearch through the ORC Partnership to makethe case for further expansion at Lakeside. It alsocorralled support from key partners across the subregion in lobbying the government to review theRSS policy and the damaging consequences likelyto flow from it.

The Council weighed in behind the Corporationand the outcome was a Single Issue Review con-vened at the request of the Secretary of State in2008 to produce a properly conceived andevaluated framework to guide the futuredevelopment of the Lakeside Basin

The Single Issue Review outcome in 2010 wasthat in planning policy terms Lakeside shouldbecome a regional town centre and that a further50,000 sq metres net (538,200 square feet net orapproximately 700,000 square feet gross), ofadditional retail space should be provided togetherwith other uses complementary to a town centre.

Following the reversal of the original RSS policyon future expansion of the Lakeside Basin, themajor investors in the Basin are now formulatingproposals for very significant capital projects thatwill begin Lakeside’s transition towards a regionaltown centre and the release of the latent economicgrowth potential within it which will create newjobs, opportunities and prosperity for residents.


■■ How Lakeside’s new town square could look.


● PurfleetTHE Corporation has invested a considerableamount of time and resource in formulatingplans for regenerating Purfleet, which was thefirst Master Plan published in June 2007.

Purfleet was also thelocation for theCorporation's first capitalgrant funding award in thesum of £1.9m toward theconstruction of the multiaward winning RSPBVisitor Centre enhancingthe bird reserve onRainham Marshes.

The Corporation'sapproach to regeneratingthe town was to create anew town centre witha new community hubfocused around the existingrailway station with newintegrated transport links.The Master Plan proposeda new town centre andriverside settlement ofaround 3,000 new homeswith 1,000 new jobs andtwo hugely importantregeneration projects or“bookends” on either side ofthe town.

On the west side of thetown is the new RSPB birdreserve and parkland andon the east side of thetown, the High HouseProduction Park - apowerful cluster of creative and cultural useslocated within a high amenity and accessibleparkland setting.

With the pieces of the jigsaw in place inOctober 2011, the Corporation prepared andsubmitted an outline application for up to 3,000homes (33% houses, 66% apartments) 6,900m2of retail, 31,000m2 of employment uses, a new

new three form primaryschool, health centre andcommunity uses, hotel,station building, energycentres, refurbished jetty,parks, play areas, communalgardens, allotments and acommunity orchard. Morethan 21.5 acres of primePurfleet riverfront wasacquired to deliver theseplans and improvements tothe local transport network. A

further 1.5 acreswere acquired inBotany Quarry.

The Corporationestablished apartnership withthe Royal OperaHouse, ThurrockCouncil, the Arts

Council England East andthe East of EnglandDevelopment Agency to bringthe Royal Opera House pro-duction facility and its cos-tume archive to Purfleet.

As part of this project thedevelopment of a NationalSkills Academy (picturedabove) for the performing artsand live music sectors was

conceived and due to open in 2012, a £60 millionpublic sector led project and a Gatewayexemplar of arts and culture led regeneration.

14


KEY POINTS:PURFLEET’S brownfield sites createthe opportunity to link existingcommunities within Purfleet througha new centre and community hub. The scheme has the potential toprovide up to 3,000 new homes and1,000 new jobs with supportingcommunity and social infrastructurein a riverside locationThe Corporation has gone along way to creating andconsolidating thedevelopment platform byacquiring more than 70acres of land, fundingextensive siteinvestigation works andcompleting a detailed designand development brief after extensivepublic consultation. The Corporation prepared an outlineplanning application for the schemefor the Council to take forward anddetermine in due course. The projecthas been passed on for the Council tocontinue and move towards thedelivery phase of the project.


“It will be immensely satisfying to see thebenefits which should arise from a project of thisscale and complexity actually making a differenceto local people,” said Simon de Vere, one of theCorporation's team of planners who continuedwork started with the Development Corporationby transfer to Thurrock Council's team.

“Every project is different and in Purfleet acomplex and wide-ranging mix of property,technical and transport issues, allied to ahistorical lack of investment meant there weredeep-seated, difficult-to-resolve, problems.”

Consultation with local people was the startingpoint for the Development Framework.

On the ‘shopping list’ of residents were morepublic open space, new walking and cyclingroutes, leisure activities for young people and alarger school site.

The plan for Purfleet sought to respond to thoseneeds. It proposes a new heart for the for thecommunity in a centre where shops, a smallsupermarket, a relocated station and a newpublic square will give a sense of symmetry to aplace that is currently disjointed.

It also includes new homes that will bringPurfleet its new prosperity.

Its location makes it a natural place for theexpansion that has to happen if Thurrock is tothrive.

Simon said: “Close to the River Thames, close toLondon and with great transport links it presentsthe ideal opportunity for a fresh start:

“To be an attractive place to live, work andeven play.

“Hence we are looking at opening up the river,creating green space and creating an attractiveenvironment, as well as creating new homes andemployment opportunities.”

15

■■ Simon de Vere led the team planning theregeneration of Purfleet. Included in thescheme is the transformation of the industrialriverfront (below) to an attractive new homessite and recreational facility.

“Purfleet can be an example of best practice in delivering regerneration and theSustainable Communities’ agenda in the Thames Gateway. New homes and

employment opportunities could be delivered to sustain and support the growth ofPurfleet into the 21st century with a new focus for community activity, new leisure

and recreational facilities, all supported by an improved public transportnetwork” - Sean O’Donnell, DC Director of Resources.



BY proactively acquiring landand negotiating withlandowners, relocating andremediating where needed,the Development Corporationbegan to reshape Thurrockfrom a fragmented andincongruent pattern ofconflicting land uses in whichpoor quality residentialhousing sits alongsideindustrial sites, to a coherentlandscape, where sustainablecommunities are linkedtogether by green spaces thatthe public can use and enjoy.

The strategy builds on theCorporation’s land use policyframework directinginterventions to secure jobsand business growth withinthe Corporation’s fiveeconomic hubs detailed on theprevious pages.

The Corporationcommissioned an EconomicDevelopment Strategy andImplementation Plan for Thurrock focusing on indigenousgrowth, sector diversification and inward investment.

A Sports and Active Recreation Facilities Strategy andImplementation Plan was also commissioned, co-funded by

16


Making things happen

■■ Consultation with localpeople and organisations

played a big part in thedrafting of new Thurrock

Masterplans

The Land ChallengeDEVELOPMENT Corporationswear two functional “hats”.

First, they are the localplanning authority for theirarea. Second, they are also adevelopment agency tasked withintervening in situations wheremarket failure has occurred.This invariably means that aDevelopment Corporation has tointervene and assist with landassembly, site decontaminationand planning, with the expressintention of turning the sites onto the private sector to deliverand build out once the marketfailure issues have beenaddressed. To do this aDevelopment Corporation has tohave land and sites.

Unlike their DevelopmentCorporation predecessors, whenThurrock DevelopmentCorporation was established itwas not the beneficiary of largetracts of redundant public landassets.

The fact that the Corporationbegan its life without anyproperty assets meant that atthe start of its operational life akey focus of activity was onacquiring sites to assemble bigtransformational regenerationprojects.

The Corporation acquired itsfirst site in Purfleet in 2006 andover the 5 year period to 2011acquired something like 100acres of land and securedoptions or legal interests over afurther 125 acres. The land wassecured to deliver theCorporation’s key projectswhich are set out in this bookand have enabled theCorporation to advance itsmajor projects past criticaldelivery milestones on thetransition to the local authority.

17

Transforming Thurrock

HISTORICALLY, parts of Thurrock havesuffered from the problems of homes andheavy industry being close together whichhas impaired the quality of life for residents.In addition, new development in Thurrockgenerally lacked character and its qualitywas classified by CABE in its housing auditof the quality of new homes in 2004 as ‘poor’.

The Development Corporation recognisedfrom the outset that good design is indivisiblefrom good planning and that better qualitydevelopment was necessary in order to createplaces where people would choose to live,work and relax.

Good design and place-making wereenshrined in the Development Corporation’sRegeneration Framework to ensure that theywere at the heart of planning andregeneration. The Corporation has workedwith landowners, developers and thecommunity to ensure new development waswell designed and for the benefit of all. Thiseffort has meant that successful examplesmay now be seen at Dovecote Barns Purfleet,Albany Heights Grays and Pilgrim HeightsSouth Ockendon. These new neighbourhoodsbuild on local distinctiveness and providecharacter and a sense of place. Numerousother planning permissions now in place willensure that the legacy provided by theDevelopment Corporation will endure.

the Corporation, to inform key decisions on thefuture provision of sports and active recreationfacilities across the borough

In partnership with the learning and skillssector the Corporation commissioned andco-funded the preparation of a comprehensivePost 14, FE/HE, Community Education andWorkforce Development Strategy to inform keydecisions on the future provision of Thurrock’slearning services and the location of importantnew learning infrastructure

With the plans complete and the landassembled, the Corporation began to deliverperhaps the most challenging phase ofregeneration - identifying and growing newindustries for the future.

The Royal Opera House Production Park inPurfleet was an example of the Corporation’sapproach. By bringing in a major brand it hasbeen possible to construct a hub that willhouse a cluster of creative businesses and theUK’s first skills academy dedicated tobackstage skills.

Over time, this site is expected to be acatalyst drawing more creative businesses toThurrock, making it a natural home for theUK’s thriving cultural and creative industry.

As the following pages testify, it isjust one of the major transformationalschemes the Development Corporationdelivered.

Making things happen

■■ The Royal Opera HouseBob and Tamar

Manoukian ProductionWorkshop under

construction.

THE creation of the new Royal OperaHouse Production Park at High Housein Purfleet has given Thurrock aninternationally recognised centre forthe creative industries, providing stateof the art facilities for students, artists,workers, visitors and the localcommunity.

The production workshop facility andservice yard, is used by artists andcraftsmen involved in the production ofscenery. This includes paint, metal,carpentry and fibre glass shops, as well as apallet storage and fit up area and officespace.

The state-of-the-art workshops provide theRoyal Opera House with the opportunity toshowcase much of their work to the public,previously not possible.

The striking Nicholas Hare designedbuilding, which includes a balcony to allowvisitors to watch work being undertaken,provides a strong landmark at the centre ofthe Park and helps frame the central square.Adjacent to the main building, the formerland and buildings of the derelict 16thCentury High House Farm site wererenovated to make an eye-catching facility,including a restaurant and coffee shop andoffices for the management of theProduction Campus within the farm house,as well as the creation of education, event

and exhibitions spaces.The 18th Century stable, which retains

many of its original features, is an heritagedisplay area and the walled garden has beenlandscaped and planted as a traditionalmixed orchard for a performance area.

Tom Gardiner, the Corporation’s Director ofDelivery said: “These developments provide

education, employment andtraining opportunities for peoplethroughout Thurrock, anddemonstrate the partners’commitment to protecting andpromoting Thurrock’sheritage.

“Going forward the ProductionPark will act as a catalyst forsocial, physical and economicregeneration and will provide astrong foundation for growth inThurrock’s cultural andcreative industries.”

18

■■ Turning the first turf: The start of the Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop.


TRANSFORMATIONAL SCHEMES

19

TONY Hall, chief executive of the Royal Opera House,has spoken of the direct link between the ProductionPark and Thurrock.

“Everything which happens at Thurrock — every singleactivity down to the last prop — will reflect back on tothe stage of the Royal Opera House, “ he said.

“The Production Park is a vital contributor to CoventGarden as well as an ever more important story in thelives of local people.”

“I find it both exciting and moving that so many peo-ple, who would never have expected to have any connec-tion with the Royal Opera House, are finding it’s part oftheir lives — from schoolchildren to college students, toadult learners to, in one project, six young offenders,two of whom are now on apprenticeship courses. We’velit a touchpaper, showing what can be done. That’sworthwhile.”


High House including the Royal Opera House Bob andTamar Manoukian Production Workshop

“We’ve lit a touchpaper, showing what can be done”- Tony Hall, Royal Opera House CEO

20


THE work of theDevelopment Corporationhas been recognised atnumerous awardsceremonies. The jewel inthe crown has been theHigh House ProductionPark at Thurrock which,by March 2012, hadearned nine top accoladesincluding the prestigiousRoyal Town PlanningInstitute Eastern Region2011 honour and being theHeritage, Arts, Cultureand Sport Winner

Corporation Chair WillMcKee said: “This is aunique project founded onan original concept puttogether by theDevelopment Corporation,

the Royal Opera Houseand Arts Council East tocreate a powerful clusterof creative and culturaluses located within a highamenity and accessibleparkland setting.

“This project willundoubtedly become anational exemplar forcreative and cultural ledregeneration in the UKand it is very gratifying toreceive such eminentrecognition for a projectthat we believe is trulytransformational, not onlyfor place making but alsofor the positivetransformational benefitsthe Park will deliver forThurrock’s communities.”

■■ Will McKee (Chairman, left) andMatthew Essex (Assistant Directorof Delivery) in the walled gardensof High House Production Park.

TRANSFORMATIONAL SCHEMESThurrock Learning Campus

Corporation’s work honoured

THE £45mThurrock Campusof South EssexCollege will openits doors in 2014.Training offeredwill expand thenumber of placesand enhancefacilities forbeauty salons,hairdressingsalons, a specialisthealth care areaand childcarecentre and trainingkitchens, alldesigned for purpose.

There will also be welding bays,brickwork, carpentry, engineering,mechanical, electrical, plumbing andmedia, including costume production,fine art and technical theatre.

John Hayles, Acting Principal and ChiefExecutive of South Essex College, said: “Aprominent location in the town centrewill help encourage and attract learners,not just young people, but adults as well.”

21

Transforming Thurrock

TRANSFORMATIONAL SCHEMESRainham Marshes

RECREATIONAL andenvironmental projects wereseen as important toregeneration by creating anattractive environment forgrowth alongside industrialand housing developments.

These included improvingfacilities at Rainham Marshesby granting £1.9 million tohelp develop the RSPBNature Reserve andfund the RSPBVisitor Centre.

The award-winning Centre,was opened by the Secretaryof State in 2006.

The Corporation granted£40,000 for a new windturbine to serve the site andso further enhance thebuilding’s impressivesustainability credentials.

The Corporation also helped connect thesite to Purfleet and the riverfront by bridg-ing the Mar Dyke river with a well-designedbridge, in partnership with the Veolia ESCleanaway Mardyke Trust which provided£259,000 for the new bridge, with £180,000Parklands funding coming through theHomes and Communities Agency (HCA).

Adjacent to the bridge is a major piece ofpublic art, the Sun Arch, together with twopairs of “wave seats” that were designed byartist Edward Allington.

The art work was commissioned throughCommissions East and funded by theDevelopment Corporation and Parklands, to

celebrate the creation of a unique meetingplace.

And across the Borough the Corporation has supported theenvironment and arts bysupporting sculptures and other art installations,such as those at Davy Down.

■■ Above: Generations of youngsters will learnabout the environment at the RSPB visitorcentre. Below, left, Development CorporationDirector Sunny Crouch, David Wright ofCommissions East, then Thurrock MP AndrewMackinlay and then Mayor Cllr Maureen Pearceapplaud the design of the Sun Arch. Below: Thebridge over the Mar Dyke is dropped in place.

22


TRANSFORMATIONAL SCHEMES

NEXT Top Boss is an innovativechallenge programme created bythe Development Corporation andtaken forward by Thurrock Counciland Team Thurrock - a powerfulgroup of local businesses,community groups, trainingproviders and young people committedto the successful delivery of the programme inThurrock to help grow the local economy.

Next Top Boss is a fun competition that usesteam work and a variety of activities to helpyoung people raise their aspirations and pre-pare for their careers and the world of work.

It received backing from Lord Sugar andformer Thames Gateway Minister ShahidMalik and was highlighted as best practice forthe public sector and short-listed for anEnterprising Britain award.

The competition was born out of the need totransform opportunities in Thurrock andencourage aspiration.

Many young people in the area lackunderstanding of how to start a career - ordon't set their aspirations high enough. NextTop Boss aims to break the vicious circlewhere jobs and ambitions are low value, lowskill.

At the end of several months of competitionencompassing a wide range of business andindustry experiences, hundreds of youngpeople and VIPs from across the region min-gled at Thurrock’s annual Next Top BossAward Ceremonies to celebrate Thurrock'stalented teenagers and mark the culminationof the competition.

Thurrock Thames Gateway DevelopmentCorporation Chairman, Will McKee said: “TheNext Top Boss awards showcased the range ofhome grown talent that we have in ourborough.

“Through their entries the participantsshowed initiative, originality, teamwork anddedication - key attributes both in businessand in life - and it was fantastic to be able tocelebrate their achievements.

“The night also brought together our NextTop Boss partners and showed that Thurrockis a great place to do business, with a fantasticarray of top national and international busi-nesses.

“We want more of our young people topursue the careers available to themright here on their doorstep - to thinkopportunity and think Thurrock.

“Evidence from both young peopleand businesses in Thurrockdemonstrated that it is alreadyachieving these aims.”

Next Top Boss - Made in Thurrock

■■ Students at Palmer’s Collegeembraced the Next Top Boss challenge.

23


MORE than half a million pounds has beendistributed to the local community by theThurrock Thames Gateway DevelopmentCorporation.

Launched in January 2007 to establish linkswith residents and to help progress the invalu-able and often unsung work undertaken bylocal community groups and the voluntarysector, the Corporation’s Community Funddistributed more than £600,000 in funding.

The Community Fund assisted a wide rangeof different groups and activities during its life,with over £150,000 granted to sports clubs,more than £60,000 to Scout and Guide groups,over £50,000 to local community groups and£80,000 to refurbish a number of village halls.

Key to the Community Fund’s success hasbeen the work of the Grants Panel. Supportedby a dedicated Community Funding Officer thepanel included community representativesfrom the Thurrock Council for VoluntaryServices, the Community Involvement Board ofthe Local Strategic Partnership, representa-tives from local businesses, the police and com-munity safety sectors and staff from theCorporation.

Corporation Chairman Will McKee said: “Thediversity of different clubs and groups, togetherwith the voluntary sector, who have benefitedfrom more than half a million pounds ingrants, emphasises just how important theCommunity Fund became to localresidents.

“By making a difference to the lives of peopleliving in Thurrock now, this significantamount of money, made available through theregeneration programme,supported the long-term work ofthe Corporation.

“The role of the Corporationhas been much more than justdelivering on housing and jobtargets, it is also aboutstrengthening communities,

improving quality of life and ensuring thatresidents play a role in the regenerationprocess.”

Clive Garraway, Chair of Gardner Hall inFobbing,said: “Following the loss of the bakers,grocers and now the post office in Fobbing, thegrant from the Community Fund made surethat Gardner Hall can continue its role as afocal point for community activity and it is nowa thriving hub for the community, meeting theneeds of people of all ages and interests.”

■■ Mike Hursthouse from theCorporation presents a

cheque to the supporters ofGardner Hall in Fobbing.

■■ Linford Wanderers FC celebrating theaward of a grant from the Corporation’s

Community Fund - the 100th made by theCorporation - with a visit to West Ham

United’s ground. “We are very grateful for thesupport of the Corporation, it has made a

huge difference to the young people involvedin the club,” said club official Simon Adams.

Helping Communities

2012 kickstarted a decade ofdelivery for Thurrock Councilas it took over the reins fromthe DevelopmentCorporation, said GrahamFarrant, Chief Executive ofThurrock Council.

In an address to mark thetransition of the DevelopmentCorporation’s function to theCouncil, Mr Farrant said:

There is a new confidencein the ability of the Council

to deliver and a cleardetermination from within tosucceed. The best skills of theCouncil and the DevelopmentCorporation will come togetherto transform the Borough in adecade of delivery - a definingperiod in the future prosperityand growth of Thurrock, and forthe Council.

In my time as Chief Executiveof Thurrock Council, I have seenthe Borough starting to change -to regenerate.

Our challenge is to deliver theregeneration agenda whileimproving the life chances of localpeople by enhancing theireducation, health and well-being.

With more than £5bn being invested inone of the largest regenerationprogrammes in the country, Thurrockreally is the place to be and we recognisethis is a once-in-a-generation opportunityto ensure local people benefit from thejobs and growth that will emerge over thenext decade.

Within Thurrock’s borders, as thisdocument has shown, are some of themost exciting regeneration projects in theUK - from east to west: DP World’sLondon Gateway, the Port of Tilbury

24


MAINTAINING THE MOMENTUM

expansion, the new higher and further-education Thurrock Campus in Grays, theplans for the Lakeside basin, the HighHouse Production Park and Royal OperaHouse workshop, National Skills Academyand the proposals for the Purfleet Centre

This would not have been possiblewithout years of detailed hard work bythe DevelopmentCorporation, workpreparing the wayfor ThurrockCouncil’s “decade

■■ Thurrock Council Chief Executive Graham Farrant.Below, Corporation Chief Executive Niall Lindsay andCouncil Leader John Kent show the merits of working

together in transition.

“

of delivery," transforming thelandscape of the Borough andimproving people’s health andwell-being in ways thatpreviously would not havebeen possible.

The legacy of theCorporation is to havelaid the foundationsand created theenvironment andconditions forgrowth, enablingthe Council todeliverregeneration.

The work of theDevelopmentCorporationcannot beunderstated.

To use an Olympicmetaphor, theCouncil’s task fromApril is to pick up theDC baton and run with itand that’s exactly what weplan to do.

With planned private sector investment(through London Gateway Developmentand Port of Tilbury expansion) likely toincrease commercial floor space in theBorough by 60 per cent over the next 10 to15 years and a changing public sectorlandscape, the Council is well positioned todrive forward the regeneration and eco-nomic development agenda; enable andsecure private sector investment; anddeliver opportunities and benefits for itscommunities.

In these tough economic times, Thurrock

is best placed geographically and economi-cally. We must grab that moment as oneand move forward together.

We are very clear - if our youngpeople are not able to access theprofessional and managerial jobsand opportunities arising from theregeneration programme then wewill have failed.

25

“The work of the DevelopmentCorporation cannot be understated”

■■ The Borough’s young peoplewill benefit from the DevelopmentCorporation’s legacy.


”

26


Committee Memberships Planning Audit Marketing Resources Projectsand and

Communications Co-ordinationWilliam McKee (Chair of Board) ■ ■ ■ ■ ■William Samuel (Dep Chair of Board) Chair ■Sunny Crouch ■ Chair ■Martin Leigh-Pollitt Chair ■Christopher Paveley ■ ■ ChairGrahame Thomas (to end December 2010) ■ Chair ■Garry Hague ■ ■ ■John Kent ■ ■ ■Richard Reynolds ■ ■ ■Deep Sagar (to end December 2010) ■ ■Ben Stoneham (to end December 2010) ■ ■

COMMITTEE STRUCTURE 2004 to 2011William McKee (Chair of Board) ■ ■ ■ ■ ■William Samuel (Deputy Chair of Board) Chair ■Sunny Crouch ■ Chair ■Martin Leigh-Pollitt Chair ■Chris Paveley ■ ■ ChairGrahame Thomas (to end December 2010) ■ Chair ■Garry Hague ■ ■ ■Terry Hipsey (2005 to December 2009) ■ ■John Kent ■ ■ ■ ■Ros Kerslake (2005 to December 2007) ■ ■Val Liddiard (2005 to December 2009) ■ ■Deep Sagar (to December 2010) ■ ■Ben Stoneham (to end December 2010) ■ ■Richard Reynolds (from May 2008) ■ ■ ■ ■■1 Garry Hague served on Planning 2010-11. ■2 John Kent served on Audit until the end of 2009 and ■3 on Resources and Co-ordination2010/11. ■4 Richard Reyonds served on Audit from 2010-11 and ■5 Marketing and Communications in 2010.

BOARD & COMMITTEEMEMBERSHIPS

1

2 3

4 5

27


New Jobs targeted in the Spatial Plan

New Homes targeted in the Spatial Plan

by April 2012 policies were in

place for thedelivery

of 29,814 jobs.

by April 2012 policies were in

place for the delivery of 20,995

new homes.

Thurrock Thames GatewayDevelopment Corporation

Transforming Thurrock2004-2012

Transforming Thurock

Documents

Transcript of Transforming Thurock