Magnet for new investment, jobs and skills development turbocharging regional aerospace, automotive and many complex manufacturing and processing clusters centred around two global ports – London Gateway and Tilbury.
Development at scale – London Gateway has 10m square foot of land with planning consent. Forth Ports is completing its latest major expansion at Tilbury2, with nearly 400 acres of land being prepared for development. Ford’s engine plant at Dagenham and Thames Enterprise Park development site cover in excess of 1,700 acres.
Speed and size matters for UK plc – no other port cluster in the south of England has the capacity to substantially expand its operational area within the lifetime of this parliament.
Our speed of delivery is matched by our global connectivity, with direct shipping routes to every continent for exporters to get their goods to market at speed.
Levelling up – A Freeport will unlock new, better paid jobs and 21st century skills development.
Thurrock is among the country’s top 25 most skills-deprived areas and the neighbourhoods surrounding Tilbury are amongst the top 10% of overall deprivation.
Barking and Dagenham is ranked in the top five local authorities for deprivation – the borough’s unemployment rate is 74% higher than the national average.
New centre of excellence – The Freeport will be a new centre of excellence for the country as we electrify, automate and digitise our future.
A low-carbon highway – The Freeport will link sites along the estuary by river into the heart of the largest market in Europe via operational wharves helping to reshape urban logistics, alleviating road congestion and reducing pollution along the A13 corridor.
This is where road and river dovetail – seamless integration of global freight into local supply chains – as Ford builds on its advanced technology capabilities to electrify, connect and automate vehicle solutions in-and-around the freeport.
Clean energy – Catalysing the Thames’ net zero transformation, including the promotion of investments in clean energy generation, such as hydrogen fuel production, storage and fuelling infrastructure.
Freeports in our DNA – DP World began as a free trade zone in Jebel Ali, while Tilbury was a freeport until 2012.
Harnessing our customs expertise, we intend to link the Thames’ trade hubs and manufacturing sites using our track-and-trace technology. This tried-and-tested system will provide a viable technology platform to ensure the freeports policy is a success at ports across the country.
thamesfreeport.com
