£15 million for transport to support Thames Gateway homes

Residents of the Thames Gateway are set to benefit from a funding boost of around £15 million for transport to support new homes, the Government announced today.

Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman and Minister for Housing and Planning Yvette Cooper announced the investment as they launched the state-of-the-art Kent Fastrack bus system and saw the start of the works to the Bridge development in Dartford, expected to deliver 1,500 new homes and 7,500 new jobs. Fastrack will eventually serve the development.

Minister for Housing and Planning Yvette Cooper said: "We have made it clear that new roads, shops and schools must go hand in hand with new jobs and homes for the next generation.

"This development here in Dartford will encapsulate what the Thames Gateway is about - creating the sort of places where we all want to live and work with the right infrastructure to support them."

The Government money will pay for further enhancements to the bus system, including new dedicated bus lanes at the Everards Link and Thames Way sections of the current route. These enhancements will deliver quicker and more reliable journey times.

Minister for Transport Stephen Ladyman said: "Sustainable transport systems are essential for sustainable communities.

"The Fastrack bus system will offer residents a quick and convenient way to get around, giving a real alternative to the car and connecting people to other vital transport links and services.

"The funding demonstrates Government commitment to Kent Thameside, and the sustainable growth of Thames Gateway as a whole."

The Government's vision for the Thames Gateway is about creating sustainable communities where new and existing residents will be part of an economically vibrant growth area, rich in social and environmental diversity, contributing to London, the South East and the whole of the UK.

The provision of social and transport infrastructure, green spaces and key local services are all integral to delivering places where people feel at home and realising the economic potential of the area.

Yvette Cooper added: "This is not just about bricks and mortar.  Design goes beyond housing, to designing communities - planning out crime, planning in green and public spaces, providing the right infrastructure and creating places that are attractive to residents and investors that will stand the test of time.

"This is why I have asked CABE to carry out a review on the identity of the Thames Gateway to provide a starting point for developing a strategic approach to design."

New Household Projections show that there will be a growth of 209,000 new households a year which supports the Government's response to the Barker Review that it should increase the level of house building to 200,000 a year by 2016.

The Thames Gateway, one of four priority areas for housing growth identified in the 2003 Sustainable Communities Plan, will play a major part in this growth which will meet the needs of future generations while easing the affordability pressures of first-time buyers.