South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)

Dartford Town Centre/Northern Gateway, Swanscombe Peninsula

The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) is responsible for a number of high profile regeneration schemes in the South East including a cluster of key projects within the Thames Gateway.

Projects include Dartford Town Centre and Northern Gateway, plus Swanscombe Peninsula, key locations just a few miles away from the new Ebbsfleet International Station, which started providing international rail services in 2007 and will provide domestic services by the end of 2009.

Dartford, as one of the largest existing town centres in the Kent Thameside area, forms an integral part of the Thames Gateway strategy. Despite its location on the M25 and good public transport links, the town has suffered from under investment, leading to a tired retail offer and an unappealing streetscape. It is further constrained by its disjointed composition, ring road and railway line which bisects the town.

SEEDA has worked in partnership on a masterplan to guide the comprehensive regeneration of the town centre and the industrial area north of the railway line, known as the Northern Gateway. This identified the potential for up to 1,800 new homes and approximately 35,000 sq m of new employment space, supported by new community facilities and an improved retail/leisure offer. SEEDA (with Communities and Local Government - CLG - funding) has also invested over £10 million to acquire a number of strategic sites in the Northern Gateway to bring forward this regeneration, and has worked with Dartford Borough Council to secure additional CLG funding for public realm and access improvements to the town centre and river
Meanwhile in Swanscombe, SEEDA has identified an area which currently provides land for some heavy industrial uses in Kent Thameside as well as several aggregate wharfs. Swanscombe Peninsula has a key role to play in keeping essential employment for existing communities and creating a sustainable future for these types of businesses and their like.

SEEDA’s work in Swanscombe includes:

• Facilitating the joining up of major masterplans by La Farge and Land Securities to bring forward further comprehensive waterside development closely linked and incorporating proposals for other high quality green schemes between the Thames and Ebbsfleet Valley
• Looking at enhancing industrial waterside opportunities for river-related businesses
• Working with partners to look at a series of opportunities for an Eco Business/Energy/Waste Management Park, plus a major contribution towards the Green Grid and Thames Parklands scheme, in creating an exciting marshland environment linking the Thames, Ebbsfleet Valley and other major development sites along the Thames. This will incorporate major leisure facilities and tourism proposals.
  

For more information please contact:
The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)
The Observatory
Brunel
Chatham Maritime
ME4 4NT
www.seeda.co.uk 01634 899900