Thames Estuary 'vision' Crossrail link to Ebbsfleet
- Published
Plans to extend Crossrail would link it to the High Speed One at Ebbsfleet International station
Proposals for one million new homes and potential creation of 1.3 million jobs by 2050 in the Thames Estuary are to be considered by the government.
The Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission has published its vision for Kent, Essex and London, external.
It also wants to see the extension of the Crossrail project to link up with High Speed One at Ebbsfleet.
It is calling on the government to provide £20m for the development of the rail link to be built by 2029.
The government said it will make an announcement "within the next six months" if it will fund any of the commission's proposals.
Driverless crossing
Under the plans there would be redevelopment work taking place in Basildon, Castle Point and Southend, with a "new medical research corridor" in north Kent, extending to Canterbury.
Cultural and creative industries will be encouraged to expand in the East London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Lewisham, and Bexley and Greenwich.
There are also calls to make the Lower Thames Crossing between Kent and Essex suitable for rail transport and the potential for use by driverless vehicles.
The commission said: "The Thames Estuary area faces some real challenges, including significant pockets of deprivation. We believe it has the potential to support growth across the country."
James Brokenshire, Secretary of State for Communities, said: "The Thames Estuary has enormous untapped potential and we are determined to unlock this to drive both local and national economic growth.
"The Commission has provided us with bold and ambitious set of recommendations, which we will consider in detail and respond to in due course."