In 1991, Michael Heseltine- now Lord Heseltine - the Secretary of State for the Environment proposed plans for developing what was then called the East Thames Corridor, a regional planning project inspired bySir Peter Hall’s idea of a linear city on the north and south banks of the estuary.  John Prescott,  Deputy Prime Minister after Labour was elected in 1997, liked the idea and, badged as Thames Gateway, the vision was a key part of the Blair Government’s regeneration agenda.

 

The exhibition explained how the economy of London has long been tilted in favour of the west. Part of the thinking behind the various Gateway strategies was to regain that equilibrium by shifting it eastwards. The chasm between East and West is a throwback to when London's East End was seen as a labour source for industries along the Thames, which throughout history was a vital corridor for trade, travel and industry.

 

Labour’s Creating Sustainable Communities document proposed that by 2016, at least 120,000 homes would be built across the wider Thames Gateway area, with around 35 per cent affordable for rent or purchase by first-time buyers. The London Thames Gateway Development Corporation was set up to lead the housing and jobs (target 180,000 by 2016).

 

The NLA show listed the many organisations leading the project but pointed out that the “perception remains that this is an area without an overall leader” which “still appears to be an un-joined-up, messy, unplanned affair. Government's response is that the sheer scale and heterogeneous nature of the area militate against any grand vision run from Whitehall in favour of local delivery via the boroughs ….. for the holistic and inspiring vision that a project of this scale and significance deserves, we are still waiting”.

 

Since then the area has consistently been unable to deliver the same levels of economic growth as other parts of the UK. The success of pockets of development at Canary Wharf and the Thames Estuary’s ports have not been felt across the area.

 

So in 2016 Lord Heseltine was brought back to head the Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission. Two years later the Commission reported, but by then Lord H had been sacked by PM Theresa May for rebelling over Brexit and Sir John Armitt took over as Chair with Sadie Morgan as his Deputy.

 

The report confidently asserted that by  2050, the Thames Estuary would be a tapestry of productive places along the “global river”. The Estuary would create 1.3 million new jobs and at least 1 million new homes.

 

Last year The Thames Estuary Growth Board was set up with £1m of Government funding. Kate Willard has been appointed as Chair and is currently searching for board members.

 

The NLA exhibition mainly focused on London’s Thames Gateway from Tower Hamlets to Havering.  A lot of the projects shown have been completed -  or are in the process of delivery, like Stratford and the Olympic legacy, Greenwich Peninsula and Wood Wharf. Others have struggled like the idea of City East, which is now branded as the Royal Docks - but has taken on a new lease of life as Sadiq Khan pumps additional resources into the area. Barking Riverside has been delayed because of lack of infrastructure but with the construction of a new Overground station, due to open in 2021, will speed up in the near future.

 

But progress to the east has been slower than Michael Heseltine might have hoped when he launched the project 30 years ago. While we hesitate to say ‘we told you so’,  we are encouraged that the NLA analysis of Thames Gateway was not far off the mark when we commented: “London Thames Gateway will probably still be a key element of the Mayor’s agenda in 2050”.