The spatial response

Thames Gateway South Essex

National regeneration priority, powerhouse and playground for London

Thames Gateway South Essex (TGSE) incorporates the regional city of Southend-on-Sea, Basildon, Castle Point, Thurrock and part of Rochford district. Thames Gateway is the largest regeneration opportunity in Europe, and straddles London, the East of England and the South East of England.

The South Essex economy is greatly influenced and shaped by London. Of approximately 300,000 workers resident in the sub-region, some 88,000 out-commute (compensated partly by some 31,000 in-commuters) - often those with higher-level skills and professional employment - leaving just over 240,000 jobs within the gateway.

The Thames Gateway Economic Statement sets out priorities for action that should deliver an additional £12 billion of GVA to the UK economy by 2021. EEDA, the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and London Development Agency (LDA), working with the government and subregional partners, have prepared an Economic Development Investment Plan setting out spatial and economic drivers across the gateway and priority regional interventions. The three RDAs have agreed a joint investment fund of £200 million with The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) to deliver the priorities. The plan has been developed in parallel with the South Essex Economic Strategy.

Assets and opportunities
  • Thurrock is a major port location, with the Port of Tilbury (currently accounting for 80 per cent of Port of London container traffic) and approved plans for London Gateway port development, a £1.5 billion investment by DP World, creating up to 14,000 jobs
  • together with Dartford, Thurrock, with the existing Port of Tilbury, provides the greatest concentration of logistics operations supporting London as a world city
  • the retail cluster in the Lakeside Basin is a destination and employment location of regional importance. It has potential to draw significant further commercial investment into South Essex
  • Basildon is a major employment centre with a net inflow of commuters to the urban area (despite strong out-commuting to London)
  • it has a significant advanced engineering presence along the A127 'Enterprise Corridor', with Ford’s research and development facility at Dunton and New Holland
  • Southend-on-Sea is the largest urban area in the region and an important service and growing cultural centre. Major opportunities exist to strengthen Southend as a centre for knowledge-based employment, building on the creation of the university campus and leading companies such as Olympus Keymed and RBS
  • Southend-on-Sea receives approximately six million visitors per annum, and is home to London Southend Airport, which has potential for passenger growth and enhancement of its engineering and maintenance activities
  • business creation rates in TGSE are high with 10.76 new businesses created per 1,000 population, against a national average of 10.08. Job growth over the 1991-2001 period has been strong, with 18,400 jobs created, an increase of 7.7 per cent
  • proximity of TGSE to the London Olympic and Paralympic site provides the opportunity to capture business contracts and tourism investment, as well as a cultural and sporting legacy
  • over 400 hectares of brownfield land that can be brought forward for new employment developments of a transformational scale
  • a distinctive estuarial waterfront and rich cultural heritage with the potential to form part of a package to attract and retain a skilled workforce and strong business base.
Constraints
  • TGSE underperforms in terms of GVA, growth and has low levels of skills attainment
  • 42 per cent of TGSE residents do not have entry level 2 qualifications to underpin longer-term learning and employability
  • The proportion of the working population with NVQ level 4+ is 16 per cent, significantly lower than the regional average (25 per cent) and there is a low proportion of economic activity in 'knowledge-intensive' sectors
  • its competitiveness, measured by productivity, is below the national average (90 against GB=100). Basildon is an exception to this
  • TGSE has existing pressures on transport infrastructure, which are likely to be exacerbated by further growth. Key blockages include the A130/A13 junction and the A127 in Southend
  • TGSE has a relatively poor perception as a place to do business, which has resulted in a poor track record of inward investment.


Strategic ambitions
  • achieve levels of productivity and earnings of at least the regional average
  • radically improve the skills base through employer-led learning opportunities and the creation of 21st century education facilities, including schools, new university campuses and industry-led skills academies
  • London Gateway as a national logistics and ports enterprise hub - a centre for research and technical support as part of an associated cluster, including the Port of Tilbury
  • reinvent and revitalise the city and town centres in Southend-on-Sea, Basildon, Thurrock and Castle Point with thriving residential, retail and leisure offers
  • major reinvention of the Lakeside Basin and West Thurrock to include increased leisure and industrial zones, interactive and ecological corridors and a new residential offer
  • become renowned for high-quality public and green spaces and attractive waterfront development
  • develop as a centre for investment in environmental technologies and services, including potential leadership in automotive energy efficiency in Basildon and a new bioenergy park in Thurrock
  • become a niche centre in the creative industries, including the Production Campus and Creative National Skills Academy in Thurrock and a focused offer in Southend-on-Sea built around the university, METAL and thriving arts and new media businesses
  • realise and harness the potential of London Southend Airport as a key transport gateway for the Thames Gateway, by improving operational capacity, surface access and supporting business development in engineering and maintenance.

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