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: South Essex
Thames Gateway: South Essex
Select one of the Essex local authorities for further information on development in these areas.
The Thames Gateway in South Essex covers broadly the area east of the M25, bounded to the south by the River Thames and to the north by the A13 as far as Basildon, then the A127 as far as Southend. It spans the five districts of Basildon, Castle Point, Rochford, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock. According to the census in 2001, some 455,000 people live within the wards of Thames Gateway South Essex.
South Essex fulfils two broad roles in relation to London, the wider region, and the UK. First, it is an economic powerhouse, producing energy, manufacturing goods, importing goods from abroad and distributing them across the UK. Second, it is a 'playground', offering an attractive coast line, distinctive estuarial wetlands, popular resorts and open countryside - all readily accessible to Londoners.
Today South Essex provides 70 per cent of London's port capacity, manufactures 10 per cent of UK transport fuel, invests Ã?â??Ã?£300m per annum in the research and development of Ford's mid-range cars and is a critical component supplier to Boeing. The sub-region has a strong, and expanding, healthcare sector.
South Essex has long provided recreation for Londoners and locals alike. Over 6 million day visitors a year visit Southend - 2.2 million more than Bournemouth. The Lakeside retail basin is the largest aggregation of retail floorspace in western Europe and attracts 30 million visitors annually. There are many sites of cultural and ecological interest, protected wildlife areas and internationally recognised wetlands.
Between 2001 and 2016, around 31,575 new homes should be built in South Essex and around 42,500 jobs created. This scale of growth will require intervention in inward investment, business retention and skills development, as well as transport. Some of these interventions have already been identified as the South Essex pages will describe.
