Thames Gateway news

The draft strategic framework for the whole muddy mess is out (well, unofficially, but reported everywhere), and Terry Farrell is crowing because his big park idea has really taken root. He says he is 'very, very gratified'. The draft framework proposes a Thames Estuary Park that “should be seen as an environmental network rather than an individual park” but it won't be a National Park because, of course, that would mean you couldn't build any houses in it.

Among its other proposals, and as if there weren't enough suits there already, the government is to set up a taskforce to speed up housing delivery as they've found that despite declaring it a growth area, it hasn't really seen a massive increase in housing starts. The LDA, EP and Housing Corp will be on it. They're also increasing the housing numbers from 120,000 to 160,000, with most to be inside London's boundaries (another idea from Farrell.)

It also apparently proposes the formation of a Gateway Design Pact, with the quality of new housing development to be policed by government design adviser the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. Well, we'll see how that goes with the taskforce to speed up numbers.

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