Communities and Local Government
A selection of images representing communities.
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- Thames Gateway and the Olympics
- Thames Gateway: Area overview and development
- Thames Gateway: North Kent
- Sittingbourne and Swale
Sittingbourne and Swale
Select one of the numbers below to link to the relevant case study.
The Borough of Swale is located between the North Kent Coast and the North Downs, some 40 miles from London and 20 miles from the M25, with a population of around 125,000. With five main urban centres (Sittingbourne, Faversham, Minster-on-Sea, Sheerness and Queenborough/Rushenden), much of the borough is nevertheless rural, including most of the Isle of Sheppey. Swale benefits from an extensive coastline and some Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (part of the North Downs), and also boasts internationally protected wetlands on the Isle of Sheppey.
Today manufacturing and logistics sectors are both strong sectors of the economy. Swale Forward, the regeneration partnership, intends to shift the balance of employment by creating conditions where knowledge-based industries can grow. To do this, Swale recognises the need to enhance the conditions for businesses to flourish by improving the population skills profile and ensuring that necessary infrastructure improvements are made.
The draft South East Plan states that provision will be made for 7,600 dwellings in Swale in the period 2006-2026. Swale Forward's Regeneration Framework sets a target for the creation of 12,000 new jobs for the borough of Swale between 2001 and 2016. Key projects include mixed-use development at Queenborough and Rushenden, retail led expansion of Sittingbourne Town Centre, and several large housing sites. Significant progress in new infrastructure has already been made. This includes delivery of the new Sheppey Crossing, progressing work at Northern Relief Road and Rushenden Link Road and in establishing a range of new community facilities. In considering how best to maximise the area's growth potential, Swale is also considering the infrastructure requirements for expansion of Sheerness Port in the north and Kent Science Park in the south.
While parts of the borough are relatively affluent, there are some concentrations of deprivation, primarily in parts of Sheppey and Sittingbourne. Partners in Swale have identified skills and learning as a top priority for overcoming this deprivation and connecting local communities to future prosperity.
