Posted 09/02/2022
Sir Tim Laurence joins Purfleet-on-Thames community for tour of £1.4bn town centre regeneration
Sir Tim Laurence joined Purfleet-on-Thames community members last week (Wednesday 2 February) for a tour of the first phase of the £1.4bn town centre regeneration which was promoted as a flagship project at the 2021 UK Global Investment Summit, and is being delivered by Purfleet Centre Regeneration Limited (PCRL), a joint venture between Urban Catalyst and Swan Housing Association in association with Thurrock Council.
Sir Tim Laurence, who is the Chair of PCRL, visited the site along with John Rowles Chairman of Purfleet-on-Thames Community Forum and Ali Pretty, Founder and Artistic Director of Kinetika to view the progress that has been made on Phase 1A of the project which will create 61 new spacious two, three and four bedroom homes close to the railway station. Over 50% of the homes will be available to purchase under the Government’s Shared Ownership and Help to Buy schemes, helping to address local housing need.
The initial 2.36 hectare phase also includes a new children’s play area and an orchard walk which will reinstate public access to Hollow Woods creating a gateway to the wider masterplan that will create 2,850 new, high-quality homes alongside a vibrant town centre with shops, community amenities including a new health centre, improved railway and transport facilities.
PCRL’s plans also encompass a state-of-the-art media village and entertainment studios, with the vison for Purfleet-on-Thames, which is already home to the High House Production Park, to become an international creative hub within the Thames Gateway.
Sir Tim Laurence, Chair of PCRL, said:
“The regeneration of Purfleet-on-Thames will deliver local, national and global benefits. It will not just deliver on the Government’s target to build 300,000 new homes every year to address the UK’s chronic housing shortage; it will also create around 1,250 temporary annual construction jobs and more than 1,750 additional jobs across a range of sectors and generate an estimated annual expenditure by new households of more than £17m locally and £26m across Essex.”
Ali Pretty, Founder and Artistic Director of Kinetika, commented:
“I am hugely supportive of PCRL’s focus on developing the creative community that already exists in Purfleet-on-Thames. As the director of Kinetika I have experienced first-hand the value that the arts can bring to a community; they unite people from all walks of life. Not to mention the jobs and businesses opportunities that will be created.”
John Rowles, Chair of Purfleet Community Forum, said:
“We have spent time and effort in getting where we are now, and it is great to see the start of the regeneration and the first homes taking shape. We have a long way to go, however, we as a community have a chance to help make this vision happen, to make Purfleet-on-Thames the place we want it to be.”
To find out more, visit ourpurfleet.com