Over £1 billion of public investment in the Thames Gateway will help build communities, including 120,000 new homes by 2016, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott announced this week.

The money comes from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (£446 million) and £600m already committed by Department for Transport.

John Prescott said: "This money will make a real difference to people in the Thames Gateway. It will be used to clean up brownfield land and build decent homes which people will live in through choice not necessity.”

"We've earmarked £330 million for projects which will accelerate development in the area, including new higher education investment and key worker and affordable housing.”

“Our long term spending plans will give developers the confidence to invest in high quality, high density development which will make the Gateway an exciting and attractive place to live and work.”

Strategic area packages

Stratford /Lower Lea £56.8m
The largest concentration of unresolved brownfield land in inner London, over 30 ha alongside the River Lea strategically placed between Stratford City, the Olympics site, and Canary Wharf.
The package will fund essential land assembly, remediation and new access as a first stage in establishing a new high density mixed-use urban quarter. Early sites will yield 700 dwellings in three years; long term potential is estimated at 6,500 homes and 2,500 jobs.

Barking and Dagenham £22m
The outstanding development and regeneration challenge in the London Gateway: its largest brownfield housing site, a struggling major town centre, a major industrial zone in need of renewal and vast area of protected but inaccessible marshland.

The package supports English Partnerships Barking Reach development strategy to deliver over 10000 homes, plus the restructuring of the Dagenham employment area through site and access improvements. It initiates the first stages of a Parkland management strategy for Rainham Marshes as a Gateway environment flagship. It also accelerates the renewal and intensification of Barking Town Centre, by promoting mixed use development sites , and a new Lifelong Learning Centre.

Greenwich/ Woolwich/ Thamesmead £42m
A mixed programme targeting the role of Thamesmead and Belvedere as key housing development and employment focus for South East London. It accelerates housing delivery in Thamesmead through site remediation and direct scheme support, and supports industrial renewal at the new East Thamesmead Business Innovation Park. This programme also addresses the basic access and environmental constraints that continue to impede the development of Deptford Creek as a unique waterside mixed use quarter.

London delivery support package £3m
To increase London partners’ regeneration capacity to strengthen programme management and delivery.

London education/ innovation package £9.3m
Five projects across the London Gateway as a whole to consolidate respective Gateway HE campuses as recognised hubs for key sector skills, business innovation and technology transfer; and promote business activity and local participation in HE. Participants comprises UEL Royals Knowledge Dock, Queen Mary College BioTech Business Innovation centre, and the Construction Skills Academy.

Kent Thameside £31.7m
The Gateway’s central growth focus, built around the new CTRL station at Ebbsfleet, existing centres at Dartford and Gravesend and cluster of large scale private sector led development sites that will come on stream over the next decade. Long term potential for over 25,000 new homes and 35,000 jobs. The package provides funds to unlock key mixed use high density sites at Gravesend (the flagship Canal Basin site) and Dartford, linked in both cases to town centre renewal programme. It also initiates planning and remediation for the next generation of riverside development sites at Northfleet. Programme outputs are estimated at some 1,000 homes and 500 jobs over the first 3 years.

Kent education package £4.3m
To contribute to the development of three new community enterprise hubs and develop a robust template for innovative design of new schools built in Kent Thameside.

Kent environment package £4.5m
To create network of open spaces and links to the Thames and Kent countryside to support the development of sustainable communities.

Thurrock £32.3m
Funding for masterplanning, land assembly and remediation in Purfleet, Grays and Tilbury respectively to begin to order the fragmented but extensive development potential in the area, and lay foundations for proposed UDC. Accompanied by funding for a Health/Community Centre for West Thurrock to address the areas pronounced community regeneration agenda, and contribution to the development of the Logistics and Transport Academy and Innovation Centre to assist the key local business sector and raise HE/FE participation rates.

Essex environmental package £5.2m
To create a network of open spaces and links to the Thames and Essex countryside to support the development of sustainable communities.

Funding for other parts of the gateway

Medway £46.6m
Multifaceted regional economic retail leisure and cultural centre. The package funds remaining site preparation costs required to bring forward the outstanding flagship Rochester Riverside site for high quality mixed urban development. Also contributes to the development of a ‘regeneration campus’ at the new University of Medway providing new Schools of Urban Renaissance, International Business and Pharmacy that will consolidate Medway’s regional image and business links, and encourage local HE participation. When complete, these projects are expected to deliver some 1800 homes and 1500 jobs.

Sittingbourne/ Sheppey £16.3m
Self contained town expansion scheme combining new housing sites and town centre opportunities released by new relief road. There is potential for some 2,500 new homes and 5,800 jobs. Package contributes to construction of relief road, town centre renewal, and masterplanning costs, to trigger substantial new private sector investment.

Basildon £24.5m
Important business and service centre which will drive the sustainable growth of the South Essex sub-region. Package supports EP led initiatives to develop Basildon’s outstanding mixed use development site at Gardiners Lane, and commence long standing aspiration to remodel and intensify mixed use of the town centre through masterplanning and release of first phase sites. This package also delivers early win affordable housing (250 homes) at Fryers school site.

Southend £29.6m
South Essex’s major regional business cultural retail and leisure centre. Programme funds a town centre package of early win affordable housing at Victoria Avenue (250 dwellings), a new strategic link integrating town centre and seafront, and acquisition of the Odeon Cinema site for the development of the University campus and Business Innovation Centre. This package also funds infrastructure costs to accelerate development of Rochford business park near Southend airport, and initiates planning and design for new road access to release Southend's remaining large scale housing site over the longer term.