As the Thames Gateway Forum meets for its annual conference, Jamie Hailstone looks at the future for the area If there's one word which sums up the Thames Gateway, then it is 'opportunity'. With work now under way on the 2012 Olympics venues, all eyes are on the 40-mile stretch which follows the Thames eastward out of London towards Southend in Essex, and Sheerness in Kent. Councils, developers and environmentalists are all keen to play an important part in shaping the future of this area, and many of them will be at next week's Thames Gateway Forum. This year's forum is the first for new chief executive, Judith Armitt, who took over in her new role on 1 November. 'My job will be to give strategic leadership and vision to the Thames Gateway programme and engage the key individuals and organisations involved,' says the former Medway Council chief executive. 'This is an exciting time for the Thames Gateway, with a unique opportunity to create the sort of communities in which we all want to live, work and invest in. 'I look forward to taking on that challenge so we can ensure we deliver the jobs, homes, infrastructure and green spaces that are needed,' she adds. And secretary of state, Ruth Kelly, adds: 'I am delighted to have Judith on board. 'We need a strengthened focus on leadership on the ground and good co-ordination of a complex network of partners. 'Her appointment is key to ensuring there is a clearer joint direction as we move forward, and her proven track record of leadership and delivery will bring valuable skills and experience to this new role.' Prime Minister Tony Blair and Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott launched the Thames Gateway in March 2005. A total of £6bn will be invested in the area by the Government. This includes a strategic delivery programme managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government. The Government has set an ambitious set of targets for the Gateway region. By 2016, there should be 120,000 new homes, plenty of affordable housing and better education facilities. All residents will have access to high-quality healthcare, as well as 180,000 new jobs. Last month, Ms Kelly also announced she wanted the Gateway to become 'an exemplar for low and zero carbon development'. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has asked all developers involved in Gateway to seize the opportunity to make it a shining example of recycling. WRAP's head of construction, Dr Mike Watson, says the project is a 'fantastic opportunity' to show how developers are embracing sustainable products. 'With construction starting on facilities for the 2012 Olympics and the regeneration of urban areas along the 40 miles of the Thames Gateway under way, the management of material resources and waste in construction must be effective, if we are serious about delivering sustainability,' he says. 'If every regeneration project in the Thames Gateway adopted best practice in materials efficiency, it would greatly reduce the environmental impact. 'In addition, there are compelling operational and commercial reasons to ensure the parties involved, as clients or contractors, are delivering best practice in materials efficiency.' The forum itself, at the Excel in London's East End, on 22 and 23 November, boasts 160 speakers, including Ms Kelly, London mayor Ken Livingstone, and the chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority, David Higgins.The programme will be made up of 32 conference sessions, held in four theatres, across both days, which will cover every aspect of regeneration and development. 'We are thrilled with this year's conference programme,' comments forum managing director, Andrew Dowding. 'Now in our third year, we have firmly established the Thames Gateway Forum as the platform for turning the Thames Gateway into a reality.'
