Summary
This publication, 'The Thames Gateway: Laying
the Foundations' (HC 693), examines the Thames Gateway regeneration
programme covering the area between Canary Wharf in London and the mouth of the
River Thames, one of the most deprived areas in the Greater South East.
It aims to create 160,000 new homes and 180,000 new jobs in the area
by 2016 and with further development beyond that date. This project is one of
15 mission critical programmes prioritised by the Government and requires broad
cross-government working so that new homes are supported by adequate transport,
education, health, community, leisure, green space and environmental
infrastructure. It is the only large scale regeneration programme managed
directly by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
Following on from a National Audit Office Report of the same name
'The
Thames Gateway: Laying the Foundations' (HC 526 2006-07) published in May
2007, the Committee's report examines the DCLG's overall management of the
programme on four main issues:
- Turning aspirations into plans that
are delivered
- More integrated and better co-ordinated expenditure
- Progress on delivering homes and employment opportunities
- Achieving
high quality and environmentally sustainable development.
Conclusions drawn include that the Department's management has been weak and
its programme management systems are not commensurate with the programme's size
and scale of ambition. Measurable objectives and robust systems to measure
progress are lacking, there are concerns over costing and delivery chain
issues.and there is a risk that the economic benefits of regeneration will not
reach existing residents.
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