Architect Sir Terry Farrell says improvments to the gatway could add £2.5bn to housing values by 2050
The Thames Gateway needs to have an landscape of equal quality to the parklands of the Thames Valley to ensure the success of the regeneration scheme, according to a vision outlined this morning by architect Sir Terry Farrell.
Farrell launched his vision for the gateway at the Thames Gateway Forum in London, saying that improvements in the environment in the gateway could add £2.5bn to residential values in the area by 2050.
He also called for the area to become an exemplar low carbon economy, leading the country’s attempts to reduce carbon output by 80% before 2050.
Farrell was asked last year by Sir Bob Kerslake, chief executive of the HCA, to set out a 40-year vision for the Gateway in time for this year’s forum.
Farrell said his vision built on the area’s location on the doorstep of London and the city’s gateway to Europe, and required the GDP of the area to rise to the average of the greater south east.
He said: “I believe that success on this scale must be ‘place-based’. Shaping the physical surroundings has the power to change people’s perceptions through new landscaping, environmental improvements and regeneration.
He added: “To create this growth the Thames Gateway will have to make the most of its assets, dramatically improve its quality of life and therefore transform its economic prospects.”
Sir Bob Kerslake said: “I believe this new vision communicates in a compelling and inspirational way what the Gateway is all about, what its future prospects are and why government and partners are happy to give it their support.”
No comments yet