The BBC have a good article about this, and as someone who lives in Kent, albeit the outskirts, I can see these changes on a daily basis.
Whilst it's encouraging to hear that they intend to build some of the 25,000 new homes on brown field land (land that been used before and is now derelict) it is a concern in terms of traffic and amenities. There are some new builds that I've seen close to the Thames that are so isolated, with only a couple of identikit shops built into the housing complex, that you do worry how any community is going to grow in these areas.
That said, improving the rails links means bringing more people out into Kent can only be a good thing for the local industries and tourist attractions. If you look at how Liverpool and Newcastle have redeveloped into vibrant new communities, then there's every reason to expect Kent to do the same.
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unfortunately looking at other developments (admittedly not as big as this one) there aren't always new shops etc. Apparently a lot of the Thames Gateway Development will be serviced by new primary schools though, which is good as it wont be walkable to anything existing.
The largest development near us is close to a large Asda, which may well mean local shops don't really get the chance to establish. Time will tell though.
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