Exclusive Q&A: Sustainability & Growth Within The Thames Estuary

Posted on: March 28th, 2019

Ahead of the Thames Estuary Development Conference next week, we hear exclusively from Anusha Shah, Chair of the Thames Estuary Partnership, on their role in the Thames 2050 Vision…

Your vision is to make the Thames the most sustainably managed estuary in the world. Tell us a little about the Thames Estuary Partnership and how you’re working to achieve this?

Thames Estuary Partnership (TEP) is a charity which was established in 1999 by a number of organisations, including the Environment Agency, Port of London Authority and English Nature who felt a non-lobbying and not-for-profit organisation needed to be created with a remit to independently represent and harmonise a diverse range of stakeholder voices towards sustainable management of the Thames Estuary. [emaillocker id=”71749″]

It is our 20^th Anniversary this year, TEP continues to provide an independent and intelligent forum for the huge variety of opinions, interests and aspirations of all those connected to the river. Providing a forum for a strong network of over 4000 stakeholders, we are a unique charity because of our excellent and extensive relationships that we use to share knowledge & insights, best practice, stimulate debates, build partnership projects, enable constructive discussions and deliver outcomes for the estuary that enhances its life for the benefit of all users.

Hosted by University College London, our area of influence extends between Chelsea bridge to the outer Estuary in the North Sea. We bridge the gap between academia and projects on ground, convene and connect stakeholders to join the estuary’s most influential knowledge repository and deliver projects on the behalf of stakeholders who want to see the Thames as a major part of what attracts people, commerce and river users to the estuary. Our partners are significant Thames stakeholders and include the Corporation of London, University College London, the Environment Agency, Port of London Authority, Natural England, Thames Water and Essex County Council.

We work on a range of projects, from leading on the coastal partnership role to providing space for discussion on smart infrastructure and latest technology to highlighting the need for diverse skills to improving fish migration routes, TEP continues to be the ‘go to charity’ for everything related to the Thames.

You have a 4000+ strong stakeholder network involved in the partnership. Why is such collaboration key to driving improvement and growth across the Thames Estuary? How is TEP helping on driving these partnerships?

We are living in exciting yet challenging times. Climate change, water scarcity and population growth remain huge multifaceted and interconnected challenges. Working in silos is simply not an option as this approach is not sustainable and will not address the ‘systemic’ nature of these challenges. There is an urgent need to break these silos at multiple levels and collaborate not just across organisations but across sectors too. If tackled well, we can convert these challenges into opportunities enhancing the lives of communities who work and live in the Thames Estuary.

For true collaboration, strong partnerships are key and TEP is best placed to be the broker of these partnerships giving evidence-based, politically neutral services that facilitate and bring together widest range of views and make a difference in improving the delivery and outcomes of a variety of major projects. Over the years we have been building a knowledge hub on the Thames which enables us to stay one step ahead in connecting people, ideas and organisations to make sure our infrastructure, economy and natural surroundings remain resilient.

Throughout history, the Thames has functioned as London’s main artery. With population estimated to reach approximately 11 million by 2050, the demand for housing, transport and other infrastructure can put the river under a lot of stress. Our mission is to convene, connect and provide a catalyst for growth around the river in a manner that enhances its life, making it a hub for a thriving working river for future generations.

The Thames Estuary Development Conference will bring together investors, developers and the whole built environment industry who’re all interested in learning about opportunities within the region. Why is the Thames Estuary such an attractive location to invest in?

Thames Estuary is located along a river that has international significance, providing a gateway to rest of the world on one side and connections to the heart of London on the other. For years, this area had been left unattended and uncared for, with large tracts of land that were either poorly used or underused. 2012 Olympics was a turning point; shining a spotlight on this area prompting developers, cultural institutions, built-environment professionals and politicians to focus on the transformational opportunities that it presents. With relatively affordable land and connectivity to the heart of London through existing and new infrastructure, such as the Barking Overground Line, this area can unlock unprecedented growth. It’s also a melting pot of cultures providing a diverse and innovative skill base which if used properly can help build sustainable and truly inclusive communities. There is also a huge potential to maintain the natural landscape, create new green and blue infrastructure and set an example for the country and indeed globally on how to work with the nature and build climate resilient places. If managed well, The Thames Estuary can provide a win-win opportunity for everyone; communities get to live and work in a healthy, inclusive, clean and green place, built-environment professionals capitalise on the opportunity to implement policies they are passionate about, developers get a good rate of return on their investments and local employment gets a boost thus benefitting the overall economy of the country.

You have several collaborative projects ongoing currently, tell us a little about some of these and the wider positive impacts they’ll have across the Thames Estuary corridor?

TEP’s collaborative projects can inform many facets of riverside development including skills and training, engagement/ education of stakeholders or local communities and meeting requirements for environmental regulations e.g. biodiversity net gain.

One of our projects include an update to the 2008 Estuary Edges Guidance for developers detailing the design principles for building intertidal terraces into the river flood defences. This will help in lengthening the life of flood defences; increasing biodiversity; increasing habitat connectivity; improving the area aesthetics for residents and workers thus providing an uplift in land value. We will be launching the new guidance crafted from structural, ecological surveys and expert review in May this year through boat trips and workshops which anyone who is interested can attend.

Another example is The Thames Citizen Science Network which involves developing a long-term monitoring programme for students and Citizen Scientists to train on sampling tidal environments through surveying Estuary Edges sites into the future. This not only provides a long-term dataset but is also offering training and volunteer opportunities for aspiring environmental and development professionals. This network aims to increase diversity and interest in the Thames jobs and skills which are critical for unlocking the growth of the Thames Estuary.

The Thames Estuary Development Conference will see over 350 attendees come together to network and connect with a view of maximising development opportunities across the Thames Estuary. Why is this an important date in the industry calendar?

The Thames Estuary is a subject of great interest at present, due to the pressing need for increased housing, jobs, transport and diverse skills for the predicted growth of London’s population. In addition to this, we are faced with big challenges such as climate change and the looming prospect of BREXIT This presents many uncertainties in terms of impact on the society, environment, legislation, economy etc. on one hand and huge opportunities to re-design and build our city into a healthy, inclusive, sustainable and resilient city on the other. Also, government has just responded to the Thames 2050 Growth Commission report. There is a lot to discuss and debate!

The Thames Estuary Development Conference offers a perfect timing and a place to bring together 350 attendees from business, politics, private sector and local government to discuss the myriad challenges and more importantly the opportunities on how to unlock growth in the Thames Estuary that is sustainable and inclusive.