Artist EVEWRIGHT Migration Museum Our ambition is simple: To transform 60 miles of the Thames Estuary across Essex and Kent into one of the most exciting cultural hubs in the world.
Creative Estuary is a consortium of public sector and cultural organisations, working together to support the TEPC. They include the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP), Kent and Essex County Councils, the Greater London Authority, 11 local authority areas represented by Thames Gateway Kent Partnership and Opportunity South Essex, South East Creative Economy Network (SECEN), University of Kent, University of Essex, Locate in Kent, and cultural organisations Metal, and Cement Fields.
Creative Estuary is proud to be driving forward the creative and economic evolution of this unique region, unlocking its potential both as an international production hub and a collaborative, inspiring place to work for a new generation of creative talent.
Our programme will transform the visibility, identity and future of the area’s creative production infrastructure, supporting more than 400 new jobs, and delivering new skills, qualifications, and apprenticeships across an area of 1.5million people.
The creative and cultural industries contribute more than £100bn per year to the UK economy, helping to attract investment, catalyse innovation, and enhance distinctive places and communities. But to safeguard the future of our creative and cultural economy, we must invest in more space, more facilities and more skills and training for the sector to prosper in the global market.
With the support of the Cultural Development Fund, we have the means to shape and develop our infrastructure, boost production capacity, catalyse talent development and drive innovation across the region. On the ground, our festivals and cross-partner collaborations will raise our profile and build confidence within our communities.
By using culture as the catalyst for growth, the Thames Estuary will provide much-needed space for expanding creative businesses and provide the scale of services, skills and infrastructure sought by both UK organisations and international creative producers.
The success of Creative Estuary will contribute to wider national programmes to generate investment, jobs and creative industry opportunities for the whole Thames Estuary, making it one of the most attractive places to live and work in the UK.
Creative Estuary is part of the Government endorsed Thames Estuary Production Corridor (TEPC) project, initiated by the South East Creative Economy Network and Greater London Authority. TEPC was recognised as a key part of the Estuary’s future in the Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission report, attracting investment from both The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
TEPC is exemplar for cross-sector governance, demonstrating the effectiveness of public and private partnership working to deliver bold ambition. The newly formed Thames Estuary Growth Board supports our ambition to become a world-class creative region.
Our programme will transform the visibility, identity and future of the area’s creative production infrastructure, supporting more than 400 new jobs.
The creative and cultural industries contribute more than £100bn per year to the UK economy, helping to attract investment, catalyse innovation, and enhance distinctive places and communities.
We have a vision for the future — one that aims to inspire and motivate. It is the central part of our brand which describes what we stand for and tells our story.
