Memorandum by the East Kent Partnership
(CT 22)
INTRODUCTION
1. The East Kent Partnership brings together
key stakeholders from the three District authorities of Canterbury,
Dover and Thanet, Kent County Council, national and regional public
sector organisations, local businesses—both large and small—and
the community and voluntary sector. The Partnership is an independent
organisation and membership is voluntary. As such it is able to
champion the issues and needs of East Kent on behalf of all its
stakeholders, especially when it is demonstrably more effective
to operate on a collective basis. Close working relationships
exist with the neighbouring local authorities of Shepway and Swale
particularly where all concerned share the challenges common to
this important coastal region of the South East.
2. The circumstances of individual East
Kent coastal towns and the challenges and opportunities they face
are arguably unique, and each of the District authorities is submitting
its own evidence to the Committee in respect of the coastal towns
within its area. The aim of this response is to offer a wider
overview of the strategic issues that need to be addressed to
optimise investment opportunities and to secure the greatest socio-economic
impact at the sub-regional level.
A. TO EXAMINE
THE CASE
FOR SPECIAL
INITIATIVES TO
TACKLE THE
NEEDS OF
COASTAL TOWNS
BACKGROUND
3. Located in the far south-east corner
of England, rural East Kent has suffered from a long-term decline
in its traditional industries and services such as agriculture,
coal mining and seaside tourism. Regeneration investment has tended
to focus on recognised areas of deprivation, especially the sites
of the former Kent Coalfields through SRB funding, and in town
centres such as Margate and Ramsgate. East Kent covers a large
and diverse geographic area of 279 square miles. Its population
of some 365,000 is spread across an essentially rural area containing
the City of Canterbury and on the coast by a number of important
urban centres including Whitstable, Dover, Sandwich, Margate and
Ramsgate. It has 72 km of coastline from the White Cliffs at Dover
to the beaches of Whitstable on the north Kent coast.
4. Significant features of East Kent life
over the centuries have been:
— The development of Canterbury as
a "resort" through centuries of pilgrimage which has
evolved into modern tourism.
— The development of seaside towns
such as Deal, Ramsgate and Broadstairs, through military settlement.
— The establishment of major military
garrisons, navy and air force bases all contributing to the local
economy.
— The "gateway" routes to
and from Britain through Sandwich, Dover, Folkestone and Ramsgate.
— Victorian "genteel" holidays
which attracted many to Herne Bay, Broadstairs and Margate.
— A thriving industry of fishing, oyster
farming and smuggling in Whitstable.
— 20th century coalfield development
bringing influences from Northern England, Wales and Scotland.
5. The recent history of East Kent has been
that of the decline of traditional industries:
— The English seaside holiday, including
the traditional trip to Margate, Herne Bay, Broadstairs and Sandwich.
— The fruit and hop-growing agriculture
sector.
— The decimation of coal mining.
— The significant withdrawal of military
bases at Deal, Sandwich and Dover and at the former RAF base at
Manston.
— The Ports, particularly Ramsgate
and Folkestone, predominantly as a result of the impact of the
Channel Tunnel, the decline in cross-channel tourism arising from
low cost air travel and the ending of duty-free tourism.
6. These problems have been compounded by:
— Years of neglect and the consequent
decline in the rail infrastructure and the provision of public
transport services across East Kent and importantly to and from
London.
— A fragmented tourism product of average
quality.
— A significant lack of investment
in the development of new industries, a modern high quality tourism
infrastructure, education and skills development to support local
industries and grow local GDP, and an acutely poor level of quality
amenities to promote civic pride and to attract inward investment.
7. The Partnership's 10 year strategy (copy
enclosed) for promoting socio-economic regeneration and sustainable
development highlights the importance of the coastal towns to
the sub-regional economy as a whole and in support of ODPM's Growth
Agenda as it relates to the Thames Gateway, Kent and Ashford.
The East Kent Partnership is committed to use the unique characteristics
of East Kent, to once more become one of the most vibrant economies
in Western Europe.
B. TO LOOK
AT THE
WORK ODPM IS
DOING TO
ADDRESS THE
SOCIAL, HOUSING
AND ENVIRONMENTAL
PROBLEMS COASTAL
TOWNS FACE,
AND TO
EVALUATE WHETHER
IT IS
EFFECTIVE, WELL-FOCUSED
OR ADEQUATELY
FUNDED
8. Notwithstanding East Kent's proximity
to the ODPM designated Growth Areas of the Thames Gateway and
Ashford, inadequate attention is being given to addressing the
extremely worrying disparities within the South East and in particular
to the structural weaknesses that exist in the East Kent economy.
This is important to the success of the Growth Agenda as it is
to neighbouring areas. Nor is there the prospect of adequate and
secure funding streams (post-SRB) into the future to provide the
level of confidence required to secure private sector investment
in East Kent, to restore pride in the community and to raise the
area's rate of GDP growth. The task is compounded by the fact
that none of the coastal towns across East Kent provides the critical
mass to succeed to the standards seen in the large city concentrations
of Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton. There is therefore a
need for a coherent spatial approach that acknowledges a mutuality
of interest and interdependence between the coastal towns of East
Kent.
9. Success in restoring vibrancy to the
coastal towns will depend on special initiatives that combine
to support major infrastructure development in towns such as Dover,
Margate and Ramsgate, that help raise the quality of the tourism
offer and the public realm in the smaller but equally important
towns such as Deal, Herne Bay and Broadstairs, and that most importantly
raise the overall quality and attraction of the area to communities
and investors through exploiting the natural synergies between
the coastal towns and their immediate rural hinterlands.
C. TO ASSESS
THE EFFECTIVENESS
OF ODPM'S
LIAISON WITH
OTHER DEPARTMENTS,
IN KEY
AREAS SUCH
AS EMPLOYMENT,
MIGRATION, AND
SOCIAL HOUSING,
AND CO
-OPERATION WITH
LOCAL AUTHORITIES
10. The East Kent Partnership is not able
to comment on the strength and effectiveness of ODPM's interdepartmental
relationships and liaison with Other Government Departments and
Agencies. That said, and as seen from the local area perspective,
there is little evidence of a concerted central government approach
to helping ensure sustainable development across areas such as
East Kent. The onus is often on local authorities to identify
those government departments and agencies that might have a real
interest in promoting and supporting (in cash and in kind) spatial
strategies designed to achieve sustainable development. And whilst
the continued support of the RDA (SEEDA) and the Government Office
(GOSE) are very much appreciated there exists a case for a better
concerted effort that is seen to have impact at the local area
level.
D. TO EXAMINE
WHETHER THERE
IS A
CASE FOR
MORE SPECIFIC
REGIONAL INITIATIVES
AND WHETHER
ENOUGH ATTENTION
IS PAID
TO REGIONAL
DISPARITIES
11. The East Kent coastal area remains today
one of the least prosperous areas of the South East and the UK.
It is characterised by:
— Low productivity relative to the
South East and, in some cases, the UK.
— Lower economic activity and employment
rates.
— Relatively low skilled workforce.
— Lower business density and business
start-up rates.
— More traditional industrial activities,
including lower value added manufacturing and tourism.
— High dependence on public sector
employment.
— A low proportion of employment in
knowledge based sectors, especially in the private sector.
— Less favourable demographics: a greater
proportion of people already over retirement age and projections
of further ageing.
— Poor infrastructure and connectivity.
— Having 21 wards in the 10% most deprived
areas of England (IMOD 2004).
— Lack of suitable sites and premises
in order to grow local businesses and attract inward investment.
— The need to raise aspirations and
improve the quality of life.
— The need for quality place shaping.
12. Deprivation experienced in East Kent
relative to the rest of the South East is clearly recognised.
There is a consistency of view and high-level integration between
the different levels and strands of public policy in this respect,
and initiatives to attract inward investment include:
— Improving the transport infrastructure.
— Ensuring the availability of development
land.
— Improving the education and skills
of the workforce.
— Building new housing to support development.
E. TO CONSIDER
THE SECURITY
OF FUTURE
FUNDING FOR
REGENERATING AND
SUPPORTING COASTAL
TOWNS
13. It has long been recognised by the key
agencies in East Kent, how important the coastal towns are: they
are home to a number of Kent's major employers, yet they have
significant regeneration needs, and represent a real opportunity
in terms of location, quality of life and connections to Europe.
Some of the most interesting regeneration projects are already
beginning to transform the coastal area, and gain support from
local, regional and national agencies: in Thanet the regeneration
of Margate Old Town, and the development of an out of town shopping
mall at Westwood Cross; in Dover the creation of a new driving
force—"Dover Pride"—for regeneration and
renewal; and in Canterbury the construction of a new Marlowe Theatre
and the creation of a new vibrant retail centre, Whitefriars.
The advent of CTRL Domestic Services in 2009 will, if plans come
to fruition, reduce overall journey times between London and East
Kent and help significantly reduce the sense of peripherality
that has dogged efforts to attract awareness and inward investment.
14. However, despite such interventions
progress in East Kent is hampered by the lack of sufficient capital
investment by both the public and private sectors in order to
achieve the step change required. There is a desire to have a
coastal product for the area as a whole that is more clearly articulated,
focused and with suitable financial interventions.
F. TO EVALUATE
THE SUCCESS
OF THE
RDAS AND
OTHER BODIES
IN SUPPORTING
AND DEVELOPING
THE ECONOMIES
OF COASTAL
TOWNS
15. The work of the Partnership is funded
primarily by the Regional Development Agency (SEEDA) through its
programme of devolved funding of Area Investment Frameworks (AIFs),
with additional funding coming from the local authorities and
local businesses.
16. The South East of England Development
Agency (SEEDA) is currently consulting on its RES document looking
at the next 10 years. This identifies the South East's coastal
communities as requiring regeneration but also as having the potential
to become a "string of pearls." This builds on SEEDA's
previous work in identifying the East Kent coastal strip as a
Priority Area for Economic Regeneration and acknowledges that
there is still much more to be done, both directly and through
delivery mechanisms such as Area Partnerships like ourselves and
the neighbouring Channel Corridor Partnership. By enhancing and
supporting this work the ODPM is very well placed to contribute
to making that difference in the South East.
17. Nor should the important role of GOSE
and Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) be overlooked. Whilst
the concept of Area Investment Frameworks seeks primarily to promote
economic development, sustainable development also requires the
active support and engagement of communities as currently represented
through the vehicle of LSPs and more widely the engagement of
the Government Office. Across the East Kent Partnership's area
effective relationships have been established that bring together
the local and spatial dimensions of sustainable development in
a way that commands the support of stakeholders and strategic
partners such as SEEDA and GOSE.
SUMMARY
18. We welcome this Inquiry which comes
at a crucial point in the overall development of the Government's
strategy and investment policy in respect of coastal towns. We
are trying to understand what needs to be done to regenerate our
coastal towns and how to secure funding that will ensure sustainable
development and engage fully the communities involved.
19. We believe that through our initiatives,
including lately the concept of creating an East Kent Natural
Park (www.eastkentpartnership.org.uk) we can position East Kent
to complement and support the Government's growth agenda and stimulate
urban and rural renewal.
20. The modest improvements achieved to-date
through Partnership working is a reflection of local commitment
to bring about improvement to the area, but in order to maintain
the momentum and continued support there needs to be much improved
co-ordination and cooperation between government departments and
agencies in terms of bending mainstream funding to address the
needs of our coastal towns as part of a sub-regional strategy
to which all subscribe.
21. The East Kent Partnership fully supports
the initiative for a special coastal towns initiative.
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