Sittingbourne and Swale

The Borough of Swale is located between the North Kent Coast and the North Downs, some 40 miles from London and 20 miles from the M25, with a population of around 125,000. With five main urban centres (Sittingbourne, Faversham, Minster-on-Sea, Sheerness and Queenborough/Rushenden), much of the borough is nevertheless rural, including most of the Isle of Sheppey. Swale benefits from an extensive coastline and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (part of the North Downs), and also boasts internationally protected wetlands on the Isle of Sheppey.

Today manufacturing and logistics are both strong sectors of the economy, with a growing life sciences cluster and significant tourism industry. Swale Economic Regeneration Partnership seeks to create the conditions where knowledge-based industries can grow. To do this, Swale recognises the need to raise the local skills profile and ensure that necessary infrastructure improvements are made.

Swale's Regeneration Framework sets a target for the creation of 12,000 new jobs and 9,100 new homes for the borough of Swale between 2001 and 2016. Key projects include mixed-use development at Queenborough and Rushenden, retail led expansion of Sittingbourne Town Centre, and several large housing sites. Significant progress in new infrastructure is already being made. The new Sheppey Crossing was opened in 2006, and work is under way to deliver the Sittingbourne Northern Relief Road and Rushenden Link Road. Investment has also come forward for a range of new community facilities, both in areas of new development and in existing communities. In considering how best to maximise the area's growth potential, Swale is also considering the infrastructure requirements for Sheerness Port in the north and Kent Science Park in the south.

While parts of the borough are relatively affluent, there are some concentrations of deprivation, primarily in parts of Sheppey and Sittingbourne. Partners in Swale recognise investment in learning and skills as critical in ensuring that all communities benefit from future prosperity.

Click here to visit the Swale Economic Regeneration Partnership website (note:  link inactive at present)