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Local MP Stephen Metcalfe visited Thames Enterprise Park (TEP) last week (21 May 2021) to see how the former oil refinery site is readying itself for regeneration.

Hosted by Director of Thames Enterprise Park, Jonathan Whittingham, and iSec Head of Strategic Land, Rupert Wood, Stephen took a tour of the 412-acre former Coryton Oil Refinery site, which is to be redeveloped to bring the site back into use as a major sustainable economic centre and, once again, to contribute to the local and regional economy.  Councillor Robert Gledhill, Leader of Thurrock Borough Council, also joined and completed the visiting group.

An outline planning application to transform the site has been submitted to Thurrock Borough Council.  The application is progressing through the planning process and it is anticipated that the plans will be presented to the Council’s planning committee early this summer.

The development, which is part of the Thames Freeport, would create up to 5,500 new jobs worth an estimated £340 million per year to the local economy.

Stephen Metcalfe MP (South Basildon and East Thurrock) said:

“The opportunity here is massive.  It’s a critical time to get investment and regeneration going as we come out of the pandemic and Thames Enterprise Park has a significant role to play, locally and regionally in the recovery.  The vision to target specialised industries alongside logistics will broaden the job opportunities locally as well as complementing and building on the success of London Gateway.  I look forward to seeing Thames Enterprise Park bringing jobs and commercial activity back to Coryton.”

Jonathan Whittingham, Director of Thames Enterprise Park, said:

“It’s been a busy year so far.  The successful Thames Freeport bid and submitting the revised planning documents to support the planning application, which is progressing through the planning process at Thurrock Borough Council, has resulted in significant interest from occupiers looking to locate at Thames Enterprise Park.

“We’re on the cusp of something special at Thames Enterprise Park and it’s been great to show Stephen the site and explain our vision and plans for the development.  With a green light on planning permission, we hope to be on-site for construction later this year.  We want to bring the site back to economic life in a way that benefits the community and that Thurrock can be proud of.”

The vision is to provide a place which will attract the next generation of sustainable specialised industries within manufacturing, energy and logistics and to participate in and contribute to the UK’s overall transition towards net zero emissions and climate change targets.

This vision was boosted in March when ‘Thames Freeport’, which Thames Enterprise Park is part of, was selected by Government in the Chancellor’s Budget as one of 8 freeport bids to proceed.

Recognising its potential, Thames Enterprise Park has already established occupier interest.  A major cold store operator in the food sector has been signed up and advanced discussions are taking place with a biofuels company.

£8.5m has already been spent to remediate over 100 acres of land so it is ready for the next phase of infrastructure delivery.  Subject to planning permission, this first phase, located on an area called the ‘West Site’, could be on-site and moving into construction by the end of the year.

You can find out more about Thames Enterprise Park on its website or social media channels (Twitter / LinkedIn).  For planning information, please visit the Thurrock Council website.

Contact details

For information about Thames Enterprise Park, contact Richard Pia / Ben Copithorne on rpia@camargue.uk / bcopithorne@camargue.uk or 07850 796401 / 07968 748125 / 020 7636 7366

Notes to editors

Thames Enterprise Park

• Thames Enterprise Park is a billion-pound inward investment proposal to transform the former Coryton Oil Refinery site on the banks of the River Thames in Thurrock into a vibrant manufacturing, energy and logistics super-hub.
• From 1953 until 2012, Coryton Oil Refinery was one of the largest local employers with thousands of people working there. The ambition is to bring that employment back through the regeneration of the site.
• The proposals are ‘regeneration in action’ – transforming 412 acres of brownfield land into a strategic employment and infrastructure asset.
• Thames Enterprise Park, once fully built, will create up to 5,500 new jobs worth approximately £340m GVA per annum, as well as training and learning opportunities for young people.
• A clean, sustainable employment hub which will attract new manufacturing and specialised industries to Thurrock.
• Strategically located on the Thames Estuary with direct access to river, road and rail links.
• Immediately adjacent to London Gateway port and London Gateway Logistics Park, it will be an innovative employment destination and complementary to the port.
• Clustering of manufacturing, logistics and energy businesses will strengthen supply chains, cut carbon and achieve more sustainable energy use.
• Thames Enterprise Park is part of the Thames Freeport alongside London Gateway, Port of Tilbury and Ford’s Dagenham engine plant, that will transform the regional economy and deliver benefits at scale through the Thames Freeport vision. The Freeport as a whole could create more than 25,000+ new jobs.

Thames Enterprise Park welcomes Chancellor’s backing of the bid

Thames Enterprise Park is welcoming the Government’s decision to back the Thames Freeport bid as a ‘strong vote of confidence’ and ‘green light for growth’.

Thames Enterprise Park joined the Thames Freeport bid in January, bringing its 669 acres of former oil refinery land into the overall venture and boosting its regeneration potential.

The Chancellor announced the Government’s support for Thames Freeport in the 3 March Budget.

Jonathan Whittingham, Director of Thames Enterprise Park, said:

“The Chancellor has recognised the economic opportunity provided by the Thames Freeport to transform the Thames Estuary region.

“As part of the Thames Freeport, Thames Enterprise Park will provide valuable development land to maximise the regeneration benefits for the region.  We have an ambitious vision for a clean, green employment hub which will bring local jobs and investment to Thurrock, while supporting the Government’s net zero goals.  Freeport status will only help us go further in stimulating the economic, social and environmental benefits not only for the estuary region, but also for the UK.

“We look forward to working with our Thames Freeport partners to reinforce the region as the UK’s strongest logistics cluster.”

When fully built out, Thames Enterprise Park will create a new manufacturing, energy and logistics super-hub on the banks of the River Thames, embracing clean and green fuel technologies and building on its legacy as a former oil refinery once supplying to a significant part of London and the South East.

Hydrogen is central to this vision for a clean fuel network that aligns closely with the UK’s net zero carbon agenda.

The total Thames Freeport impact – generated across Thames Enterprise Park, DP World London Gateway, Forth Ports at Port of Tilbury, and Ford at Dagenham – is:

• £5.1 billion additional GVA
• Over £4.5 billion in new public and private investment
• 25,000+ new jobs with many more across supply chains, with significant investment in training and skills
• 1,700 acres of development land – much with planning consent
• £400 million port investment into some of the most deprived areas
• 20% of the UK’s most deprived communities are in London and the South East
• Freeports are in our DNA – DP World began as a free trade zone in Jebel Ali, while Tilbury was a freeport until 2012.

Thames Enterprise Park is one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK and having it within Thames Freeport means that the transformative impact of freeport status will be even greater – a key objective of the Government’s freeport policy.

Following the submission of a package of additional planning information to Thurrock Borough Council in February, a decision on the outline planning application for Thames Enterprise Park is anticipated in the summer.

£8.5m has already been committed to early remediation and planning permission has been secured for further infrastructure works, so that plots can be ready for development as soon as consent is granted.

When planning permission is granted, the first phase of the development will be up and running within 24 months.

Recognising its potential, Thames Enterprise Park has already established occupier interest.  A major food sector occupier has been signed up and advanced discussions are taking place with a biofuels company and major low carbon occupier.

You can find out more about Thames Enterprise Park on its website or social media channels (Twitter / LinkedIn).  For planning information, please visit the Thurrock Council website.

Contact details

For information about Thames Enterprise Park, contact Richard Pia / Ben Copithorne on rpia@camargue.uk / bcopithorne@camargue.uk or 07968 748125 / 020 7636 7366

Notes to editors

Thames Enterprise Park

• Thames Enterprise Park is a billion-pound inward investment proposal to transform the former Coryton oil refinery site on the banks of the River Thames in Thurrock into a vibrant manufacturing, energy and logistics super-hub.
• It is regeneration in action – transforming 669 acres of brownfield land into a strategic employment and infrastructure asset
• It will create up to 5,500 new jobs worth approximately £340m GVA per annum, as well as training and learning opportunities for young people
• Clean, green and commercially-relevant employment hub which will attract new businesses to Thurrock and the wider regional area
• Strategically located on the River Thames with direct access to river, road and rail links
• Immediately adjacent to London Gateway port, it will be an innovative employment destination and complementary to the port – delivering the proven business benefits of clustering
• Clustering of manufacturing, logistics and energy businesses will strengthen supply chains, cut carbon and achieve more sustainable energy use
• Capital is in place and some plots are ‘shovel ready’ – accelerated construction can ensure Thames Enterprise Park is operating as soon as possible (subject to planning consent)
• Potential to transform the regional economy and deliver benefits at scale though the Thames Freeport vision. Thames Enterprise Park is part of the Thames Freeport bid alongside London Gateway, Port of Tilbury and Ford’s Dagenham engine plant. The Freeport as a whole could create more than 25,000+ new jobs

Plans for Thames Enterprise Park, the billion-pound regeneration vision for the former Coryton oil refinery, have taken a significant step forward this week with the developers submitting a package of additional information to Thurrock Borough Council to support the planning application. 

The Council had requested supplementary details to assist with its determination of the application.  A decision is now anticipated early in the summer.

The planning application proposes to create a new manufacturing, energy and logistics super-hub across 412 acres of the former oil refinery site that closed in 2012. If approved, Thames Enterprise Park will create up to 5,500 new jobs and add around £340m (GVA) every year to the economy.

This week’s news follows the recent announcement that Thames Enterprise Park is partnering with neighbours DP World London Gateway, Port of Tilbury and Ford Dagenham on the Thames Freeport bid – an overall opportunity to create over 25,000 new jobs across more than 1,600 acres.  A decision on the freeport bidding competition and whether Thames Freeport will secure freeport status will be made by the UK Government, separately from the local decision on the planning application for Thames Enterprise Park.

Jonathan Whittingham, Director of Thames Enterprise Park, said:

“Thames Enterprise Park represents a billion-pound inward investment proposition which will be truly transformational for Thurrock and for the Thames Estuary.  This is regeneration in action: we’re taking a brownfield site and repurposing it to create a strategic employment site with upwards of 5,500 new jobs for the region.

“As well as attracting new green industries, we will also create significant economic and social benefits for the wider area.  Once planning consent is granted by Thurrock Council, we will move rapidly into the construction phase so that we can realise these benefits for Thurrock and the estuary region as soon as possible.”

Thames Enterprise Park is one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK.  £8.5m has already been committed to early remediation and planning permission has been secured for further infrastructure works, so that plots can be ready for development as soon as consent is granted.  When planning permission is granted, the first phase of the development will be up and running within 24 months.

As well as progressing with the planning application and Thames Freeport bid, Thames Enterprise Park has already established occupier interest.  A major food sector occupier has been signed up and advanced discussions are taking place with a biofuels company and major low carbon occupier.

You can find out more about Thames Enterprise Park on its website or social media channels (Twitter / LinkedIn).  For planning information, please visit the Thurrock Council website.

Contact details

For information about Thames Enterprise Park, contact Richard Pia / Ben Copithorne on rpia@camargue.uk / bcopithorne@camargue.uk or 07968 748125 / 020 7636 7366

Notes to editors

Thames Enterprise Park

• Thames Enterprise Park is a billion-pound inward investment proposal to transform the former Coryton oil refinery site on the banks of the River Thames in Thurrock into a vibrant manufacturing, energy and logistics super-hub.
• It is regeneration in action – transforming 669 acres of brownfield land into a strategic employment and infrastructure asset
• It will create up to 5,500 new jobs worth approximately £340m GVA per annum, as well as training and learning opportunities for young people
• Clean, green and commercially-relevant employment hub which will attract new businesses to Thurrock and the wider regional area
• Strategically located on the River Thames with direct access to river, road and rail links
• Immediately adjacent to London Gateway port, it will be an innovative employment destination and complementary to the port – delivering the proven business benefits of clustering
• Clustering of manufacturing, logistics and energy businesses will strengthen supply chains, cut carbon and achieve more sustainable energy use
• Capital is in place and some plots are ‘shovel ready’ – accelerated construction can ensure Thames Enterprise Park is operating as soon as possible (subject to planning consent)
• Potential to transform the regional economy and deliver benefits at scale though the Thames Freeport vision. Thames Enterprise Park is part of the Thames Freeport bid alongside London Gateway, Port of Tilbury and Ford’s Dagenham engine plant. The Freeport as a whole could create more than 25,000+ new jobs

Boost for Freeport Bid as Thames Enterprise Park joins London Gateway, Port of Tilbury and Ford

New partner reinforces regeneration and clean growth potential and brings even more reasons for Government to back the bid.

The bid for a freeport on the Thames is now even stronger.  Thames Enterprise Park – a 669-acre former oil refinery development site shortly to become a manufacturing, logistics and clean energy hub – is joining the bid.

Located directly next to DP World London Gateway, Thames Enterprise Park will bring additional development and expansion land to the bid, as well as add to its vision for a clean fuel hydrogen network that aligns closely with the UK’s net zero carbon agenda.

Thames Enterprise Park is one of the largest regeneration projects in the UK and bringing it into the bid as a customs sub-zone means that the transformative impact of freeport status will be even greater – a key objective of the Government’s freeport policy.

Stuart Wallace from the Thames Freeport bid consortium, said: “Size matters more than ever for UK plc.  A Thames Freeport ability to deliver transformational gains across trade, investment, jobs, levelling up and regeneration is substantial and just got even bigger.  By boosting the bid with Thames Enterprise Park, we are taking the potential impact of our bid up a gear, which is great news for everyone who wants to see the region succeed and thrive.”

Kate Willard OBE, the Government’s Estuary Envoy and Chair of Thames Estuary Growth Board, added: “Thames Enterprise Park is a potentially transformational project in its own right but, by bringing it into the bid, we are amplifying the total regeneration and clean growth benefits of the freeport even further.  The Thames needs a freeport and our argument for that is now even stronger.”

Jonathan Whittingham, Director of Thames Enterprise Park, commented: “By bringing Thames Enterprise Park into the bid, we can unlock many more benefits than might otherwise have been possible.  It means that the bid can go further in stimulating the economic, social and environmental benefits not only for Thurrock and for the estuary region, but also for the UK.  That’s something that we want to be part of and where we see that we can contribute to a collective success story.”

Following recent formal backing from Thurrock Borough Council and the Barking and Dagenham Council, the team is fine tuning the freeport bid ahead of submission to the Government by 5 February.

The Thames Freeport bid now contains the operations, development land and infrastructure spanning the two port operations at London Gateway and Tilbury, plus Ford Dagenham and a major regeneration site at Thames Enterprise Park.  This combination, totalling in excess of 1,600 acres, is directly aligned to what the Government has set out to achieve through its freeport policy and its bidding process.

It gives the Thames Freeport bid even greater potential and an even stronger evidence base to put to Government in order to secure freeport status.

See the Thames Freeport website /  /  pages for more information.

Contact details

For more information about the Thames Freeport bid, contact John Stevenson on john.stevenson@potll.com or 07824 621756

For information about Thames Enterprise Park, contact Ben Copithorne on bcopithorne@camargue.uk or 07968 748125 / 020 7636 7366

Notes to editors

• Regeneration through job creation: 25,000+ new jobs, with significant investment in training and skills
• 1,600+ acres of development land – much with planning consent.
• £400 million port investment into some of the most deprived areas.
• 20% of the UK’s most deprived communities are in London and the South East
• Thurrock is among the country’s top 25 most skills-deprived areas
• Barking and Dagenham is ranked in the top five local authorities for deprivation.
• Freeports in our DNA – DP World began as a free trade zone in Jebel Ali, while Tilbury was a freeport until 2012.
• A centre of excellence to electrify, automate and digitise catalysing the Thames’ net zero transformation.

The Thames Freeport bid is backed by our local MPs and many businesses, alongside Barking and Dagenham Council, Be First, Essex Chamber of Commerce, London First, Opportunity South Essex, the Port of London Authority, the Rail Freight Group, the Thames Estuary Growth Board, Thurrock Business Board, Thurrock Council, Transport East and the South East LEP.