Caring for our Towns and Countryside A Community Forum This event has been organised in conjunction with Kent County Council, Dartford Borough Council, Gravesham Borough Council and Kent Thameside regeneration partnership

Greening the Gateway Kent and Medway Martin Hall, Director,GGKM Joanne Smith, Cluster Study Manager

My tasks Welcome House keeping The agenda Purpose of the meeting The rules Introduce GGKM Not to talk too much – its your evening!

This evening’s agenda 6.15pm Refreshments 6.30pm Introduction, Martin Hall, Director,Greening the Gateway Kent and Medway 6.45pm Debbie Fryer, Temple Hill Trust 7pm Martyn Riley, KCC External Funding Officer 7.15pm Brian Macknish, Chairman,Thames and Medway Canal Association 7.30pm Sarah Carroll, Big Local Lottery 7.45pm Open discussion

WHO? Country Land and Business Association (CLBA) Dartford Borough Council Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) Environment Agency Forestry Commission Government Office for the South East (GOSE) Gravesham Borough Council Kent County Council Kent Downs AONB Kent Thameside Delivery Board Kent Wildlife Trust Medway Council Medway Renaissance Partnership Natural England National Farmers’ Union Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) Sustrans Swale Borough Council Swale Forward Thames Gateway Kent Partnership (TGKP)

GGKM’s Ambition “achieve a radical transformation in the quality of the urban environment across North Kent, together with the conservation of adjacent high- quality countryside assets and improved access to them”.

WHERE ? Kent –Dartford –Gravesham –Medway –Swale Linking Estuaries, Towns and Downs –Thames, Medway and Swale –Dartford, Gravesend, Medway, Sittingbourne, Sheerness –Kent Downs

Governance of a sub-regional partnership

The case is made but… Greening the Gateway Strategy (Defra / ODPM) Local Regeneration Frameworks Greening the Gateway Kent and Medway Initiative Green Grid Action plans Local Authority Open Space Strategies Thames Gateway Parklands

Localism and Big Society How do we all respond? –How do existing partnerships work harder at engaging all? –How do existing community groups work harder at reaching up / out? Green Grid could be an excellent vehicle – assuming we all wont to get on board and go in the same direction

GGKM working with three green grid partnerships Dartford & Gravesham Medway Swale

Common landscapes

Common issues

Common assets

Similar end users

Thames Gateway Parklands A big idea translated by Sir Terry Farrell (Design champion for Thames Gateway, Kent and Medway) Seeking transformational projects Reinforcing place-making Creating a new critical mass Result - £10m plus match

Parklands Projects

Live Parkland Projects Dartford Greenheart Cyclopark Thames and Medway Canal Great Lines Heritage Park Milton Creek

Exposed sky/shore – vantage – dropping away – trackways – clustered farmsteads – make-do Wooded ridge – closed to open – undulating edges – downland curves – coppice – hints of time Understanding Shorne to Shore – a sense of place

Analysis

The Journey Your interests Your projects Your ambitions Your skills Your resources Your support

Summary of the evening Did you find it enjoyable and useful? Isn’t it amazing how much is going on? Ideas for future meetings, events, walks, celebrations Tasks: refresh the green grids message, offer support for friends of groups, make joint applications, sharing advice and skills ?