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Thurrock is an excellent place to do business given it’s close proximity to London and it’s position as a gateway to the world. We have excellent transport links which give businesses access to the major national road and rail networks and via our local ports there is a gateway to european and wider international markets.

Thurrock is at the heart of the Thames Gateway, the biggest regeneration project in Europe and we are ideally situated for new businesses to start and for existing businesses to grow and thrive.

The borough is already a hub for many thriving businesses in core sectors - logistics, retail, construction and transport - and we have many regionally significant businesses including the Port of Tilbury and the Lakeside Shopping Complex. This position will be strengthened by the nationally important £1.5 billion London Gateway deep-sea container port and the largest logistics park in Europe at Shellhaven.

Our economic growth will also see significant expansion of both Lakeside and Tilbury Port.

With hundreds of millions of pounds of investment flowing into Thurrock we are uniquely placed to take advantage of the business and employment opportunities that these big projects and developments will bring.

Economic Recovery and Growth in Thurrock

Thurrock’s response to the recession has been robust and as a consequence the economic base remains relatively strong. Despite this many of our businesses and residents are, in 2010, facing a difficult and uncertain economic situation. We have a positive agenda to improve and increase the skills, training and education attainment of our residents and to set Thurrock firmly as the location of choice for new and expanding businesses in The Thames Gateway and South East. Both businesses and residents have the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits that this regeneration and growth promises to deliver for Thurrock and its communities.

With this in mind Shaping Thurrock, our local strategic partnership, has launched the Thurrock Economic Recovery and Growth Plan. The Plan sits alongside the Sustainable Community Strategy and the Thurrock Economic Development Strategy in striving for the economic growth and prosperity which will ensure a better quality of life for the Thurrock community.

The Plan sets out a range of co-ordinated services and 40 initiatives that Thurrock Council, Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation and our partners (statutory & voluntary) have developed working with the public and private sector to support businesses and communities as they deal with the lasting effects of the recession.

The actions outlined in the plan will ensure that solid foundations are in place for the borough to build on and prosper from during the economic upturn. It will help to deal with the immediate problems faced by businesses and residents and also looks to the future building economic capacity, connecting local people to jobs, investing in skills, attracting investment and creating and sharing prosperity.

The plan focuses our efforts in three key areas:

1. Support to local business, stimulating development and innovation
2. Support to local communities, residents and the workforce - access to employment and skills training
3. Attracting investment: marketing and finance

Through the Shaping Thurrock Partnership we will continue to monitor the effects of the recession on the borough to review this plan and to disseminate new information and advice to partners and businesses as necessary.

Download full plan

Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, May 2010 (PDF 1.3MB)