Communities for local Government

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  This blog is closed Please note this blog is no longer live and is kept here for archive purposes.... 12/12/2007, 11:59 AM by Administrator to Judith Armitt's blog

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  If Germany can do this in Emscher Park, just think what we can do in the Gateway Last week I took part in a joint visit to the Ruhr Valley in Germany to see an area called Emscher Park , which is a regeneration programme that has already run for 30 years. The area is named after the River Emscher that runs through the valley. The... 25/10/2007, 11:37 AM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: identity, greenspace, culture, open space, history & heritage, Emscher

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  Crossrail is coming to the Gateway! The news that Crossrail is going ahead is a huge boost to the Thames Gateway and I’m absolutely delighted about it. Crossrail is the development of the railway across London that has been talked about for the best part of thirty years. For my entire career... 19/10/2007, 5:48 PM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: Stratford, joint working, economic growth, transport, Woolwich, Crossrail, strategy, communities

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  It's important to be bold in our ambitions but we should also be realistic Terry Farrell and I met at a debate hosted by David Morley Architects last week, contrasting our respective visions for the Thames Gateway . We were joined by others with an interest in regeneration and the Gateway, including Dave Wardle from the Environment... 12/09/2007, 2:41 PM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: identity, National Park, greenspace, leadership, economic growth, culture, strategy, open space, communities, history & heritage

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  Dickens World: a well-told tale of celebrating culture and literary delights Two weeks ago Dickens World , the new visitor attraction based on Charles Dickens, opened its doors to the public. Based in Medway, it is the product of a £62 million investment in the leisure industry and friends who have been tell me it’s both well... 08/06/2007, 9:08 AM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: identity, town centres, culture, Medway, communities, tourism, history & heritage

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  Re: Woolwich win takes one step closer to Crossrail I understand why people have concerns about high density development. And I agree we need to manage density carefully and that good local transport links are required. The two often go together of course. Good quality housing schemes of higher density... 07/06/2007, 5:32 PM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: town centres, transport, Woolwich, housing density, open space

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  Love it or hate it, everyone's talking about the new London Olympic logo Seb has certainly got us talking about the 2012 Olympic logo . Opinion here in the Thames Gateway Executive divides much like that in the rest of the country: between those who like modern, bold and intriguing; and those who seek the traditional, British... 06/06/2007, 1:45 PM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: London 2012, getting fit, identity, culture, sport, Thames Gateway Executive

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  Re: Big plans for Basildon Thanks for the comments on Basildon. I'm really keen for the town centre regeneration to go ahead. This needs to be about getting high quality development into the centre and providing a variety of housing opportunities (not just flats) as well as making... 04/06/2007, 1:45 PM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: town centres, Basildon, open space

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  Re: The soul of the Gateway is not at risk I know it's been a while since I blogged on this subject but just to set the record straight, Bishop Michael and I met shortly after his interview about the soul of the Thames Gateway to talk about what he said, and we were agreed. We both think there... 01/06/2007, 9:30 AM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: identity, Woolwich, communities

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  New Thames Gateway Director of Delivery We’re advertising for a Director of Delivery for the Thames Gateway to head up our new Delivery team. This is part of the new structure of the Thames Gateway Executive; we’re shifting the emphasis from strategy to delivery to ensure we can accelerate... 31/05/2007, 6:26 PM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: leadership, strategy, Thames Gateway Executive, delivery

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  Re: Medway Boat Race Increasingly people are seeing creative opportunities in the Gateway. I'm also pleased we have the University College for the Creative Arts (also known as KIAD) based in the Gateway. I'm very supportive of their bid for University status. The work produced... 31/05/2007, 11:57 AM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: culture, Medway, education

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  Shellhaven gets a green light Yesterday Transport and Communities ministers gave planning permission for the new port at Shellhaven and its associated commercial centre, together known as London Gateway. This is very welcome news. The Dubai Ports project involves building a new international... 31/05/2007, 11:04 AM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: economic growth, Shellhaven, Thurrock, ports & logistics

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  Medway boat race Fantastic - the new Medway Universities boat race. I wish I had thought of that when I was at Medway. One event that says so much about Medway - three Universities, a river as evocative as the Thames, high ambition and real excitement about growing student... 25/05/2007, 2:00 PM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: identity, culture, Medway, sport, education

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  The National Audit Office report The National Audit Office published their report on the Thames Gateway yesterday after 18 months of work. The team looked at how the Government co-ordinates and supports the Gateway, acknowledging the scale and ambition of the programme and the considerable... 24/05/2007, 4:00 PM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: NAO Report

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  Woolwich win takes us one step closer to Crossrail Douglas Alexander's recent announcement that the major UK developer Berkeley Homes is to provide an extra station for Crossrail at Woolwich is a really important announcement for the Thames Gateway, assuming Crossrail goes ahead. No other transport measure... 03/04/2007, 9:48 AM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: town centres, transport, Woolwich, Crossrail

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  A job well done by the BBC I was delighted with the new BBC Thames Gateway website; a good example of the Beeb at its best, recognising what's new and using technology to reach new audiences. People trust the BBC. I wasn't surprised to learn that its websites receive over 30million... 23/03/2007, 4:59 PM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog

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  Let's celebrate the Olympic Games We're not celebrating the fact that we are hosting the London 2012 Olympic Games . It's a great honour to be chosen as host city and it couldn't have come at a better time for us in the Thames Gateway. The Olympic Park site would have been one of the... 09/03/2007, 4:29 PM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: Stratford, London 2012, Water City, getting fit

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  The soul of the Gateway is not at risk Bishop Michael of Rochester was quoted expressing a worry that the Thames Gateway might have not have a soul. I care just as much as he does about this. We've talked recently and agreed the Thames Gateway should serve the needs of the existing communities... 09/03/2007, 3:57 PM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: identity, National Park, greenspace

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  A team that works together, grows together All the team are based in the Gateway at last. I'm really pleased with our location. We're in Harbour Exchange, Canary Wharf, at the start of the Gateway and as I blog the view from windows in my office look east over the Gateway to Kent and Essex, and... 08/03/2007, 12:00 PM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: joint working, leadership

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  Big plans in Basildon I recently visited Basildon . It is one of the 60s' new towns, designed then to help with London's housing problems. Approximately 25 miles from London, it's home to 167,000 people and 60,000 jobs. You've a better chance of working where you live in Basildon... 07/03/2007, 10:00 AM by Judith Armitt to Judith Armitt's blog Filed under: town centres, Basildon, economic growth