Thames Estuary Development Conference

Thames Estuary Growth Board – Kate Willard OBE, Thames Estuary Envoy and Chair

Kate is leading the charge to make the Thames Estuary the UK’s clean growth focal point by activating a high investment, high innovation, hydro economy. Going forward, Kate is keen to move away from the planning and focusing on the delivery of projects. Joining the conference to update delegates on everything from policy to upcoming new regeneration initiatives that the board are going to back.

ALMCOR & Thames Enterprise Park – Graham Stark, Development Director

Thames Enterprise Park is 412 acres of brownfield land on the Thames Estuary in Thurrock which is being transformed into one of the most sustainable, well-connected and energy-innovative enterprise parks in the UK. Planning permission was recently secured for the initial stage of the project which will see 3.7 million sq ft of sustainable business space developed, creating up to 5,500 new jobs and adding more than £350 million per year to the Thames Estuary economy.

Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM) – Yvonne Ambo, Senior Transactions Manager, Long Income Funds

Yvonne joins the panel to discuss what makes an investable project for organisations like L&G and what councils, developers and other stakeholders in the estuary need to do to secure the investment needed to get regeneration projects off the ground. Legal & General has invested over £30bn in towns and cities across the UK and enabled myriad major regeneration and renewal projects.

MAN GPM – Shamez Alibhai, Head of Community Housing and Managing Director

MAN GPM have recently been provided with a £50m funding package – with initial plans to build 600 affordable, sustainable homes across the Midlands, South East, Cambridgeshire and East Sussex. Shamez will be joining us to discuss current developments, the challenges of the housing market and thought leadership on  building homes of the future.

BeFirst Regeneration – Caroline Harper, Deputy Managing Director

Be First is Barking & Dagenham’s (LBBD) urban regeneration company. They will deliver 50,000 new homes and 20,000 new jobs over the next 20 years, with the profits made reinvested in public services. Be First is a unique company, with the business acumen of the private sector and the ethos of the public private sector and Caroline is well placed to contribute to the discussion on public/private collaboration to overcome growth challenges in the estuary.

Peabody – John Lewis, Executive Director, Thamesmead

Together with their partners – the GLA, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London Borough of Bexley and TfL, Peabody are driving forward the regeneration of Thamesmead. Over £1 billion is being invested in the town and 20,000 new homes and thousands of jobs will be created over the next 30 years. Peabody is taking a ‘whole place’ philosophy to Thamesmead, ensuring a lasting contribution to the physical, environmental, cultural and economic wellbeing of the area. Peabody were also recently given permission alongside Hill Group for the first 935 homes of the 3,500 home Dagenham Green masterplan on the old Ford stamping plant.

Creative Estuary – Sarah Dance, Chair

Sarah is Chair of Creative Estuary, which is leading the Thames Estuary Production Corridor project. The project will add £3.4bn to the Estuary’s economy, create over 16,000 jobs and elevate the region to become a world leading cultural powerhouse. As Chair of the Creative Estuary, Sarah is helming a consortium of public sector and cultural organisations which will transform the visibility, identity and future of the area’s creative production infrastructure.

Lower Thames Crossing – Andrew Kidd, Director of Solutions & Outcomes

The Lower Thames Crossing is set to be the longest road tunnel in the UK and with a budget of £6.3bn one of the country’s key infrastructure projects. The project is a ‘pathfinder’ in the move to carbon zero development and new approaches include exploring the use of hydrogen to replace diesel during construction. Andrew Kidd is leading the radical change in approach needed to make the scheme a low carbon pathfinder for the sector.

HSBC – Daniel Wright, Head of Housing, UK

HSBC are a leading provider of banking services to the housing and affordable housing sectors with a range of services to enable and accelerate development including core financing and working capital. Recent deals have included funding to enable Wyatt Homes to develop 1,000 family homes and support for LGIM’s £150m social loan to deliver 5,500 affordable homes. Daniel will discuss how HSBC can support good housing growth across the estuary and how they can partner with Registered Providers, developers and housebuilders to enable this.

Homes England – Shona Johnstone, Head of High Growth & New Settlements

The Thames Estuary has been identified as requiring 1 million new homes by 2050 and Homes England are actively working with delivery partners including the 18 local authorities, GLA and Thames Estuary Growth Board to make this a reality. Shona will discuss how they are coordinating infrastructure providers, investors and delivery partners to ensure a strong housing development pipeline.

Thames Estuary Growth Board – Chris Naylor, Director

Chris Naylor is a former local authority CEO, who was Chief Executive of Barking & Dagenham for seven years from 2015 during which they were twice named Council of the Year, he was also seconded to Birmingham City Council as Chief Executive during 2020 to help the city with its ongoing improvement.  Chris is supporting the Growth Board to establish a strategic investment partnership which will identify co-investment opportunities, attract private and public investment, de-risk delivery and work with investors for short and long-term gain.

Populo – Deborah Heenan, Chief Executive

Populo, Newham Council’s wholly owned housing delivery company are leading on the regeneration of the Carpenters Estate. The regeneration of the 28 acre estate will see the development of 2,152 new homes, 50% of which will be for social rent, as well as a new state-of-the-art community centre, green spaces and office and retail space.

Lendlease – Selina Mason, Director of Masterplanning

Lendlease has submitted plans for £3.5 billion Silvertown mega scheme – planning to build 6,500 homes in East London, 50% of which will be affordable housing. The project aims to create the next generation of homes and workplaces, including art features and leisure facilities, cafés, restaurants and bars, healthcare spaces, schools, community and commercial spaces

Department for International Trade – Simon Sweetinburgh, Senior Investment Manager, Real Estate

Simon works with the Department of International Trade identify major planned capital projects that may require investment in order to proceed. He joins the conference to discuss what the Thames Estuary needs to attract major inward investment and how this can be used to get large scale regeneration projects off the ground.

Forth Ports – Erin Law, Commercial Lead, UK Freeports

The recent announcement that Forth were one of the winning bids to establish a Green Scottish Freeport is set to unlock £6 billion of investment in Scotland and the UK as well as creating 50,000 green jobs over the coming years. The investment will be injected into areas such as sustainable fuels, offshore wind manufacturing, shipbuilding, air transport and seaport logistics across Forth Ports’ sites at Leith, Grangemouth, Rosyth and Burntisland, as well as 550 hectares of new tax and customs areas at the port sites and Edinburgh Airport. Erin will join the conference to discuss these opportunities as well as future opportunities at the Port of Tilbury and development plans at Forth’s other UK Ports.

Port of London Authority – Alistair Gale, Director of Corporate Affairs, Strategy & Thames Vision

The Port of London Authority are getting ready to launch Thames Vision 2050, an updated development framework for the tidal river Thames. The framework will see long term major investment to drive sustainable economic growth, expand the transportation of freight into London and increase connectivity to road and rail infrastructure. Alistair will outline the 2050 vision and the significant investment that will come with it.

Poplar HARCA – Blossom Young, Head of Operations

Poplar HARCA are a 9,000 home social landlord in East London. They are investing heavily in the Thames Estuary and are mid-way through the 1,000 home Aberfeldy Estate project. Alongside their partners – the GLA, London College of Fashion and the Trampery they are bringing forward Poplar Works, a fashion industry focused hub with over 40 individual studios. Blossom will discuss this project and the role creative and cultural industries play in placemaking, regeneration and community building.

Gravesham Borough Council – Tom Reynolds, Assistant Director

Gravesham Borough Council have ambitious and exciting plans to deliver transformative across the borough and join us to share intel on the key projects set to take shape across the borough. The Albion Waterside project will see the regeneration of a major site and the creation of 1,300 homes, 4,500sqm of employment space and major public realm. Clifton Slipways will see 227 new apartments and a start-up business hub developed, alongside the restoration of a derelict Victorian pier.

Elvis & Kresse – Kresse Wesling MBE, Co-Founder & Director

Ethical luxury fashion brand Elvis & Kresse is a Thames Estuary creative success story, having launched in 2005 as a way to turn industrial waste into luxury lifestyle products. Elvis & Kresse’s first line is made from decommissioned fire hose, and the company now collects 12 different waste streams and is involved with collaborations across industries, from fashion houses to FTSE 100 companies, and returns 50% of profits to charity. Kresse will discuss what creative industries along the Estuary need to maximise their growth potential, and the positive social and environmental impact they can have.

Greater London Authority – Joseph Henry, Capital Development Manager (Culture & Creative Industries)

London is a creative city attracting talent and enterprise from all over the world; the creative economy provides one in six London jobs and generates £47 billion annually. Joseph will discuss the support the GLA is providing for the Production Corridor and cultural and creative industries along the estuary and how it will aid the creation of a skilled workforce to enable the 50,000 new jobs.

Ikigai Capital – Helena Anderson, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer

Ikigai Capital is part of a consortium of companies, which has formed a partnership with the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to deliver the  ‘Invest Net Zero Cheshire’ roadmap with an investment blueprint developed which will see £1 billion spent on low carbon projects in Cheshire over the next few years with nearly 3 million tonnes of CO₂ saved by 2030. The consortium has identified a portfolio of opportunities across renewable generation, hydrogen, carbon capture, energy storage and smart grids which offer long-term, sustainable investment opportunities in net zero and Helena will be on hand to discuss these opportunities and Ikigal’s role in creating tomorrow’s net-zero Britain.

Purpose Driven Development – Carla Guerrera, Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Carla is the Thames Estuary Growth Board’s first international board member and has been appointed to bring her international regeneration and development expertise to help create and implement a regeneration strategy for local authorities, developers, investors and other stakeholders to work together successfully. Carla has led globally award winning projects including the West Don Lands Waterfront Revitalization which will see the transformation of 2,000 acres of former brownfield land on the Toronto waterfront.

University of Kent – Simon Barnes, Strategic Partnerships Development Manager

Leveraging university innovation to catalyse and facilitate collaboration between industrial partners, public sector leadership and universities themselves is vital in the region’s push to become a leader in the hydrogen economy. Universities also have an important role to play in training and upskilling to support the creation of the thousands of required jobs. Simon will discuss how the university will be helping enable the £2.2bn of investment that will power the Thames Estuary’s hydrogen economy.

Ebbsfleet Development Corporation – Harry Zimmerman, Cultural Development Assistant

Harry is undertaking a RE:Generation 2031 placement with Ebbsfleet DC. RE:Generation 2031 is an innovative approach to developing the creative skills of young people aged 16 to 25 years in disadvantaged areas of North Kent and South Essex. It will empower the next generation of creative talent and future cultural leaders in the region by giving them new access to training, mentoring and aspirational opportunities.

Jacobs – Tom Darcy, Regional Solutions & Technology Director Europe

Thomas is Jacobs Regional Solutions & Technology Director in Europe with more than 15 years’ experience working across the environmental, regeneration and infrastructure sectors. A designer by background, Thomas enjoys working with multi-disciplinary teams, stakeholders and creative technical professionals to re-shape project delivery and unlock unexpected benefits. At Jacobs, we’re challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world’s most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $14 billion in revenue and a talent force of approximately 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector.

Built Environment Networking – Amanda Griffiths, Director

Amanda is one of the Co-Founder’s of Built Environment Networking – formed almost 10 years ago.

She’ll be hosting throughout the day, running the days proceedings and managing the interaction between our delegates and the speakers.

Willmott Dixon – Lawrence Wright, Regional Head of Land & Development

More information to follow.

Pagabo – Ben Jones, Regional Manager

Based in the South East, Ben supports our growing list of clients in the region. With over 12 years’ experience supporting the public sector and 5 years within construction procurement, Ben will be guiding clients through the use of our solutions, from project inception, to completion, and beyond