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Draft:Thames Estuary Growth Board

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  • Comment: This reads like it is an advertisement or promotion for the board. WP:BROCHURE. Ktkvtsh (talk) 21:31, 23 August 2024 (UTC)


The Thames Estuary at Essex

Thames Estuary Growth Board is the strategic investment partner for national and international investors, developers, government bodies, businesses and local communities across the Thames Estuary. This includes North Kent, South Essex, South East and East London, the City of London, and the River Thames, with these areas forming a coherent economic geography. The Growth Board's goal is to drive sustainable fair growth and address regional challenges in key sectors including the creative industries, net zero including hydrogen power, river freight, data centres, innovation and skills, housing and infrastructure.[1]

Background

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The Thames Estuary covers North Kent, South Essex and East and South East London, as well as the Thames itself. It includes twenty local authority areas: Barking and Dagenham, Basildon, Bexley, Brentwood, Canterbury, Castle Point, City of London, Dartford, Gravesham, Greenwich, Havering, Lewisham, Medway, Newham, Rochford, Southend-on-Sea, Swale, Thanet, Thurrock and Tower Hamlets.

This area faces significant challenges like economic inactivity, low-paid employment and underinvestment.[2] The Thames Estuary Growth Board is a not-for-profit, private sector-led organisation founded in 2019 in response to recommendations from Lord Heseltine's Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commision Report[2][3]; it was incorporated as a private limited company in 2023[4]. The Growth Board acts as a link between local government, national authorities and industry to showcase the Estuary’s potential as an investment destination and catalyse its economic development. Key projects and investment opportunities are showcased on the Growth Board’s inward investment platform, Investuary, which was launched in 2023[5]. Government-appointed Envoy and Chair of the Thames Estuary Growth Board, Kate Willard OBE, leads a small executive team supported by a privately-led board of business and political leaders.[6]

Work

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Ford factory at Dagenham

The Thames Estuary Growth Board encourages fair growth through data-driven insights. It has commissioned and presented a variety of reviews and research, including the Thames Estuary Hydrogen Route Map[7], Thames Estuary Levelling Up Data Atlas[8], studies focused on light freight on the River Thames, guiding principles for Thames Freeport proposals[9] and the Global Estuaries Network Report[10]. This work has been driven by collaborations with leading think tanks, energy companies and consultancies. An overall vision for sustainable fair growth in the Thames Estuary is outlined in ‘The Green Blue’ action plan.

Initiatives undertaken by the Thames Estuary Growth Board span a broad range of industry sectors. The Board promotes the Thames Estuary as a prime location for a burgeoning green hydrogen ecosystem[11][12], which is estimated to eliminate 5.9 million tonnes of CO2 emission and provide £3.8billion GVA in the region by 2035[7]. With a view to sustainable development, the Growth Board chairs the Thames 2100 Taskforce and is committed to championing and improving access to the Estuary's green spaces. It also encourages the use of the River Thames for light freight, pioneering a business model which would see 20 million parcels per year[13] moved by river to reduce congestion and pollution across London and the Thames Estuary. In order to achieve the ambitions of the Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission Report, namely delivering 1 million new homes and 1.3 million new jobs across the Estuary[2], the Growth Board is working closely with private and public sector partners to understand the opportunities and barriers to surrounding housing delivery and economic growth.

The Confluence of the Thames and the Medway - J.M.W. Turner, 1808

The cultural heritage of the Thames Estuary is strong, having been featured in many significant works[14] including the books of Joseph Conrad[15][16] and Ken Worple, Dickens' Great Expectations and paintings by J.M.W. Turner[17][18]. Art in the area is supported by the Growth Board through initiatives like the Estuary Festival[19] and Arts Council England's 'Let's Create' strategy[20], which aim to bring together sustainable growth, public engagement and the arts. The Thames Estuary Growth Board has worked with Greater London Authority and Creative Estuary on the Thames Estuary Production Corridor to unite and further develop creative industries along the Thames Estuary; the Production Corridor is projected to potentially generate 50,000 jobs and over £3.7billion GVA per annum in the creative and cultural production sector[21]. More than £360million has already been invested by the private sector,[22] with fashion and screen industries along the Estuary growing faster than anywhere else in the United Kingdom.[21][23]

Partners of the Thames Estuary Growth Board include Arcadis, DHL, Transport for London, Uber Boat, Kent County Council, Essex County Council, Port of London Authority, the Thames Freeport, Creative Estuary, National Highways, Opportunity London, the Environment Agency, Homes England, London Assembly and the City of London.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Home". Thames Estuary. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  2. ^ a b c "Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission report". GOV.UK. 2019-03-25. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Heseltine calls for creation of new Thames Estuary development corporation". www.planningresource.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  4. ^ "THAMES ESTUARY GROWTH BOARD overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  5. ^ Knight, Madeleine (2023-05-19). "UKREiiF: Thames Estuary launches bid for £18bn of regional investment". Property Week. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  6. ^ "Who we are". Thames Estuary Growth Board. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Thames Estuary Hydrogen Route Map: A Summary" (PDF). Thames Estuary Growth Board. 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Thames Estuary Levelling Up Data Atlas" (PDF). Thames Estuary Growth Board. 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  9. ^ Thames Estuary Growth Board. "Freeport Proposals Criteria" (PDF). Thames Estuary Growth Board. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Global Estuaries Network Report" (PDF). Thames Estuary Growth Board. 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  11. ^ Heynes, George (2024-07-03). "Lloyd's Register signs MoU to explore green hydrogen for the Thames Estuary". Current News. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  12. ^ "New research shows the Thames Estuary could be the site of a green hydrogen cluster". London City Airport. 2 Nov 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  13. ^ WSP UK (2022). "Light Freight on the River Thames: Feasibility Study" (PDF). Thames Estuary Growth Board. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  14. ^ Lichtenstein, Rachel (2016-09-22). "Martians, music and mud: how the Thames Estuary broadened cultural horizons". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  15. ^ Conrad, Joseph (1983). Heart of Darkness. Penguin Books (published 1899).
  16. ^ Conrad, Joseph (2013). The Mirror of the Sea. Little Toller Books (published 1906).
  17. ^ Tate. "'Shipping at the Mouth of the Thames', Joseph Mallord William Turner, c.1806–7". Tate. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  18. ^ Tate. "'The Confluence of the Thames and the Medway', Joseph Mallord William Turner, exhibited 1808". Tate. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  19. ^ "Art, Music, Literature & Film | Estuary Festival 2021 in Essex, Kent and Thurrock". www.estuaryfestival.com. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  20. ^ "A House for Artists - Create London". createlondon.org. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  21. ^ a b Hatch Regeneris, We Made That & Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy (2020). "Thames Estuary Production Corridor: The Case for Investment" (PDF). london.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  22. ^ "Opportunities: Creative". Investuary. 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  23. ^ "Thames Estuary Production Corridor to create over 1.5m sq ft of film studio and sound stages". The Business Magazine. 2021-08-06. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  24. ^ "Partners". Investuary. Retrieved 2024-08-20.
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