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EEDA in context: the region and how we work
About EEDA > EEDA Annual Report 2007/08 > EEDA in context: the region and how we work
EEDA in context: the region and how we work
The region:
The East of England is the second largest region in England covering 19,120 square kilometres with a population of 5.6 million. It covers six counties: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk and includes four unitary authorities - Luton, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.
It has a diverse and high quality environment, stretching from the edge of London in the south to remote coastal and rural areas in the north and east. The region’s functional urban areas have collective strengths on which they are able to capitalise.
Principally, these are:
- capacity for, and commitment to, growth
- proximity to London
- international transport gateways
- the knowledge-based economy
- higher education and research institutions
- world-leading environmental expertise
- and national creative and cultural centres of excellence.
The region also contains three out of the four national priority Growth Areas 2 and three candidate Growth Points 3. The region's rural and coastal areas have their own diverse economy, overlaid by agriculture and tourism businesses.
The East of England region is strategically placed for access to Europe both by air and sea. London Stansted and London Luton airports have both achieved strong growth in recent years.
Felixstowe and Tilbury are the most dominant of the seven major seaports in the region. Felixstowe is the largest and fastest growing container port in the UK - already accounting for 40 per cent of the country's container traffic - and the fifth largest in Europe. The proposed port expansions at Felixstowe, Harwich, London Gateway and Great Yarmouth underline the region's importance in providing economic "arteries" to the rest of the country.
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