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Thames Gateway

The hon. Gentleman, who was educated in a Southend school, remembers better than I do. The local authority is keen for the Government to support its plans to rebuild our swimming pool. Southend borough council’s main goal throughout the development period is to create:"““A town by the sea where people want to live, work and play—a 21st Century urban seaside resort and regional cultural capital.””" Although the hon. Member for Thurrock is an advocate of old Leigh, we do not have as many day trippers as formerly, so we are trying to reposition ourselves in the market. I must now go on to more ““speak””. The draft regional spatial strategy for the east of England introduces specific guidance for the Thames Gateway South Essex sub-region to deliver regeneration in a manner specific to the needs and requirements of the local area. The prioritised requirements are to achieve employment-led regeneration, wealth creation and growth with improvements to transport infrastructure. It is hoped that that can be achieved by working in partnership with the Thames Gateway at other levels and by retaining an emphasis on local ““Zones of Change and Influence”” to allocate resources where they are most needed in line with the regional economic strategy prepared by the East of England Development Agency. That means, in short, ““If there is any money going, Southend would like some of it to do what the council says””. The Southend local strategic partnership has prepared a ““Southend Together”” community plan for the borough, developed in association with the Thames Gateway South Essex partnership to form a core strategy and framework that is currently undergoing a period of public consultation in Southend. We are inviting local residents to give their views on the proposed strategies for economic development in the region. I should point out to the Minister, however, that economic development is, as ever, a double-edged sword. The planned multi-million-pound expansion of Southend airport in time for the 2012 Olympics would include a new terminal and railway station in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend, East (James Duddridge). It would be built at the Rochford site, and would be linked directly to London. I am advised by the council, however, that the plans may be under threat if proposals to build a car park on green belt land are rejected. I will not bore the House with the criteria for green belt, as it might prove embarrassing. John Allen is the director of planning at the London Thames Gateway development corporation. Whatever view he and his colleagues take, I ask them to think carefully about the regeneration projects being undertaken by the corporation. I am not alone in highlighting the serious environmental issues facing the Thames Gateway. The London Assembly recently warned that the area was at high risk of flooding, and that should the defences fail we would incur a natural and humanitarian disaster on the scale of the one in New Orleans. The main worry seems to be over who is responsible for maintaining the defences. Surely we should not be embarking on a large-scale expansion of residential and business premises while the stability of flood defences is still unknown. The Government are calling all the shots. Although my party lost the general election, however, we are not sulking; we are embracing all the Government’s initiatives. I must therefore tell the Minister that I am here, unashamedly, with a begging bowl. English Heritage rightly points out that, contrary to popular perceptions, the Thames Gateway boasts a number of rich historic sites, from the Tilbury fort—where Queen Elizabeth I delivered her rallying speech to the Navy before it defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588—to four of England’s six historical naval dockyards. To that list I would add Southend pier. The Minister and I were once joint chairmen of the all-party fire and safety group. Let me tell the Minister of my experience. We live fairly near the pier, and when my wife woke me saying ““Goodness, there is a strong smell of burning””, I panicked—for all the right reasons. When I eventually went down to the pier, I could not believe that we had suffered the same disaster for the third time. When I was taken to see the damage, I recognised about half a building that had been at the end of the pier. It is truly upsetting to see the damage: when one reaches the end of the railway, that is it. The station, the pub and the fish and chip shop are no longer there. The end of the pier remains, at which the magnificent sea rescue service is located, but the bit in between is missing. Southend pier is a very famous pier; in fact, it is the longest in the world. I would like Southend to host one or two sporting activities during the 2012 Olympic games, and although there are plans to use the London Eye for the associated celebrations, I am sure that the pier, which is something to be proud of, could also play a part. The leader of Southend council has the full support of myself, my hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend, East, and Mr. Geoffrey Van Orden—one of our European MEPs—in consulting local partners on the pier’s reconstruction, so that we can restore it to its former Victorian splendour. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is keen to revitalise the region via modernisation, but that ought not to be done at the expense of popular and historic landmarks such as Southend pier. When it is restored, it will be a source of continuing pride and enjoyment for the Thames Gateway region.