Kent County Council
future
development
Kent is a vast and beautiful county strategically positioned
between London and Europe - two powerhouses of the
global economy.
in Kent. These include roads,
schools, social services, libraries,
adult education centres, trading
standards and planning.
Coastal Regeneration
KentÕs coastline is one of its most
precious assets. But the coastal
towns Š as elsewhere Š face
declining tourism and, in some
cases, port traffic. Many are in
Regeneration Priority Areas Š so
KCC has prioritised the coastal
strip from Queenborough to Lydd
with an initial focus on Margate,
Ramsgate, Dover and Folkestone.
The county council works with
districts and partners on a wide
range of regeneration initiatives to
add to the work of area partnerships
and draw funding from public and
private investors. This includes
tackling run-down empty properties;
support for tourism and existing
businesses; and the creation of new
jobs, homes, schools, parks, streets,
Despite KentÕs economic success,
poverty and deprivation persist in
some areas. KCCÕs Regeneration
and Economic activity aims to attract
new prosperity throughout Kent but
especially to the poorest areas by
providing good housing, well paid
jobs and training, quality local
facilities, accessible transport, and
great leisure and cultural facilities.
The division works with partners
in the public and private sector to
ensure regeneration projects meet
local needs and fulfil a common
vision. The map on pages 176
gives an idea of the scope of
activity Š throughout Kent but
particularly in the priority Thames
Gateway and Ashford growth areas,
the Coastal Action Zone and the
Kent countryside.
Kent County Council is responsible
for providing a wide range of
services that affect the daily lives
of people living, visiting or working
Regeneration and
economic activity
aims to attract
new prosperity
throughout Kent
Dover Seafront
St MargaretÕs Bay

investment. New road schemes
near Ramsgate and in Dover
and Folkestone and airport
improvements at Manston and
Lydd will also improve opportunities
for business investment.
The coastal areas benefit from
two Enterprise Gateways offering
focused support to key businesses
and encouraging the development
of creative and cultural industries.
Wi-fi zones will be introduced to
Margate, Dover and Folkestone to
encourage entrepreneurship and
business start-ups.
Rural Regeneration
Rural areas are an economic
asset and contribute significantly
to KentÕs economy. More than a
third of KentÕs businesses are based
in rural areas and the performance
of KentÕs economy is directly
influenced by the prospects of
its rurally located businesses.
Whilst agriculture and the landbased
industries only account for
8% of KentÕs rural businesses, they
still contribute significantly to KentÕs
economy Š with many of KentÕs iconic,
valued landscapes being the result
of farming practices. Through the
Produced in Kent initiative, KCC
actively promotes the use of local
produce, supports events and
training for producers. This work ³
squares and cultural facilities to
make KentÕs seaside towns places
where people want to live, work
and visit.
Margate, Ramsgate and
Broadstairs fall within a
Regeneration Priority Area which
means extra government funds are
bringing new vitality and prosperity
to these once elegant and popular
seaside towns. This aims to
encourage development of vibrant
mixed-use areas that will create
well-paid year-round employment,
high quality seaside housing and
a unique cultural character for
residents, businesses and visitors.
Dover and Folkestone also fall
within an area of major regeneration
priority, and already benefit
from superb road, rail and sea
connections. They enjoy a unique,
richly varied topography and historic
environment. The vision for both
these towns is to become distinctive
and memorable waterfront
destinations with revitalised town
centres, new high quality housing
and a diverse economic base that
encourages enterprise, culture,
higher education and waterside
leisure activity.
High-speed domestic rail links to
the Kent coast will be introduced
in 2009 and will make the coastal
zone highly attractive to new
Cycling in Chilham

new mixed-use developments,
such as The Bridge at Dartford;
and Fastrack a highly innovative and
successful buslink. There will also
be stunning new parklands and a
network of connecting green routes.
The development at Ashford is
planned as urban villages close to a
revisited town centre and provides
new traffic calming, a grand civic
square and learning campus. Some
30,000 homes and 29,000 jobs will
be created over the next 25 years
with innovative transport projects,
such as the Smartlink express
transit system and a new town centre
road scheme helping to bring about
this transformation.
The major focus of development
in Thames Gateway North Kent
will be a combination of visionary
urban villages and city-style living
close to a new international
passenger station at Ebbsfleet. This
will connect the area to London in
17 minutes and Paris/Brussels in 90
minutes, providing an ideal business
choice for companies wanting a
strategic location, innovative design
and high quality of life.
also encourages the wider use of
seasonal, local produce Š which
supports not just the local economy,
but also benefits the environment
through reducing food miles.
KentÕs rural areas are also
inherently entrepreneurial with
high levels of self-employment.
Broadband access and new ICT
developments are creating new
opportunities for rural businesses
to locate and compete in rural
areas. KentÕs proximity to London
and the advent of high speed rail
services will further increase the
opportunities for more home-based
and rurally located business startups
in Kent.
Urban Regeneration
Thames Gateway North Kent and
Ashford are two of the governmentÕs
major growth areas. In north Kent,
where over 30,000 new homes and
50,000 new jobs will be created by
2020, a key focus will be on the new
highspeed rail link at Ebbsfleet.
Dartford, Gravesend, Queenborough
and Sittingbourne will see exciting
Ideal business
choice for companies
wanting a strategic
location
Picture courtesy of Dartford Council
The Bridge, residential development

Sustainable Development
Housing developers are encouraged
to invest in schools, parks, transport
and community facilities to make
new housing schemes into
successful neighbourhoods. KCC
works hard to make sure there is
adequate investment to support new
development and relieve pressure
on existing towns and villages.
A DevelopersÕ Guide and Kent
Design Guide have been produced
to aim to ensure high design
standards across the county and
make Kent a future showcase of
design excellence, sustainable living
and strong, supportive communities.
Copies are available online at
www.kent.gov.uk/regeneration.
To reduce the impact of climate
change, energy efficiency is being
encouraged as well as the use of
renewable energy sources and the
conservation of natural resources Š
such as water Š while bio-fuels and
new wind farms are also being
developed.
Tourism and Visitors
Tourism contributes more than
£1.8m to KentÕs economy and
this figure increases if local arts,
cultural, sport and leisure activities
are taken into account.
Kent County Council aims to improve
and support the businesses involved
in the tourism industry, and promote
Kent as a great visitor destination Š
both for traditional activities and
more unusual sporting, cultural and
leisure interests which are becoming
increasingly popular. An online
booking service has been developed
and can be found at
www.visitkent.co.uk.
Contact:
Tel: 08458 247 247
www.kent.gov.uk
More urban villages and town centre
improvements are planned for
Dartford, Gravesend, Swanscombe,
Northfleet, Queenborough,
Rushenden and Sittingbourne
that will carefully integrate new
and existing development and
ensure genuine gain for local
people. A connecting system of
green corridors, parks and wildlife
habitats is integral to all the
new developments.
Ashford town centre with its
historic buildings, tree-lined
walkways, floral displays and
street entertainment mix easily
with busy street cafes and excellent
modern shopping facilities that
complement the townÕs international
Eurostar station with domestic
services planned as part of
the growth.
Business and Enterprise
The council works with partners
to support small and medium sized
businesses and encourage the
development of emerging business
sectors Š particularly creative and
cultural industries, scientific and
knowledge-based industries and
the land-based economy. The county
even has a dedicated film location
officer to help promote Kent to the
film and television industry. Links
between business and education
are being strengthened so that Kent
schoolchildren gain valuable work
experience that will help them
develop new business skills.
To help ensure local people benefit
from the construction contracts
needed to build KentÕs major
developments, the CLIK website
is being developed to link people
to construction training and
employment opportunities
throughout Kent.
(www.kent.gov.uk/CLIK)
The Oast Houses
Walking in Kent