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More than Mudflats and Microflats - the Thames Gateway landscape

The Building Centre Trust and audacity.org invite you to the second in the Selling the Thames Gateway series, on Monday 20 October 2003, 4.00pm to 7.00pm at The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London, WC1.

Is the Thames Gateway landscape a problem or an opportunity for the regeneration plans for the area? Much has already been spoken about the housing targets being a regenerative impetus for the Gateway through the Sustainable Communities initiative. But have we overlooked a number of landscape issues that are particular to the area?

For example, much of the area is floodplain and marsh, which may be unsuitable for development. Should the wetlands be left well alone for the sake of wildlife?

Low to medium density homes with gardens might be a better environment for flora and fauna than either urban development at high densities or marginal agricultural land.

The area is rich in industrial archaeology which might characterise the landscape. What are the transport and recreational opportunities that major infrastructural works might generate?

Who decides what the Thames Gateway landscape is to become?

We are delighted to have four speakers at the centre of policy, strategy and planning solutions. There will be an opportunity for questions, discussion and debate at the end of the seminar.

Tickets cost £25.00 +VAT, payable to The Building Centre Trust.

Booking forms available from events@buildingcentretrust.org

Speakers

Ian Abley - How would the Dutch do it?

Ian Abley, audacity.org project manager, offers a graphic look at aspects of the varied Thames Gateway landscape, and asks how, taking the Dutch approach to working with water, we might engineer and design a new place to live out of the Estuary floodplain, wetlands, and expansive bleakness. He argues that we must be confident and sensitive enough to create new landscapes for new lives.

Paul Williams, of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister

Paul Williams, of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, is responsible for the Government's strategy for the Thames Gateway in the context of national planning policy guidance.

Dave Wardle - Flood Risk in the Thames Gateway: Planning for Uncertainty

Dave Wardle, of the Environment Agency, notes that London and the Thames Estuary currently have one of the best tidal defence systems in the world. The Environment Agency assesses these systems will provide a high standard of protection well beyond 2030.

They also advise that future development in the Thames Gateway must go hand in hand with flood risk management, and take account of future plans for flood protection. The Agency insists it is important that effective flood risk management of the whole Estuary is not prejudiced by early decisions and development on the Gateway.

In his talk, Dave Wardle outlines the Agency's approach to flood risk management in the Gateway. He will outline how the Agency plans flood defences in preparation for the uncertainties of climate change and sea level rise, whilst making sure that the next generation of those defences matches the needs of the next generation of riverside dwellers.

Alex Nickson, of Thames Gateway London Partnership

Alex Nickson, of Thames Gateway London Partnership (TGLP), recognises that the regeneration of the Thames Gateway provides the opportunity to challenge perceptions and change realities. It is the means to raise the quality of life for existing and new residents, which they want to pursue through substantial environmental enhancements that integrate sustainable development principles. The scale of the task is huge, but so are the opportunities.

Overcoming the constraints that the TGLP say have prevented development to date, and enabling the formation of sustainable communities, will, Nickson argues, require bold and innovative thinking with a commitment to the sustainable utilisation of natural resources. In view of that, Nickson considers the challenges of the Gateway, the TGLP 'Green Grid' framework, and the Thames Strategy East projects.

Andrew Scoones - Chair

Andrew Scoones, director of the Building Centre Trust, introduces and chairs the discussion.

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