MEDWAY was aiming to light up Brussels with enthusiasm for its regeneration crusade after presenting its case for more European cash on November 5. Local representatives were among a high-powered delegation at a Guy Fawkes Day conference about the Thames Gateway Kent Partnership.

They defied a local underground rail strike to stage the event in South East England House, a venue available to local councils and businesses wanting to fight their corner in the European Union.

There may not have been many fireworks, but delegates hope it will be the start of a slow burn that will convince the European Commission to invest more money in the Thames Gateway, which is set to create 50,000 new homes and 100,000 new jobs over the next 20 years.

There are fears that enlargement of the European Union may divert cash from Kent and Medway to eastern Europe.

Paul Clark, MP for Gillingham, brought a message from Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott saying that the Thames Gateway would play "a leading role in providing much-needed housing and developing sustainable communities".

Mr Prescott added: "There is potential within the Thames Gateway to build an entirely new urban community east of London, This is the biggest development site in Europe ripe for expansion."

At the end of the conference, Cllr Jane Chitty, portfolio holder for regeneration, said it was worthwhile. "We have to identify where funding is available," she said. "We are not going to fulfil what has been put forward in this vision without financial help from the EU."

She did not expect any funding promises immediately, but hoped that it would make a difference in the longer term.

Richard Simmons, development director with Medway council, spoke about the huge challenges and opportunities of the area. He said it had overcome major obstacles, such as the closure of the Royal Naval dockyard in 1984 and industrial decline. Since then, unemployment had fallen from more than 20 per cent to around three per cent.

Medway was a fine example of urban renaissance, he said, "a city of learning, culture, tourism and hi-tech," with 8,000 businesses and a workforce of 122,000. But he pointed out that 37 per cent commuted to work outside the area every day, putting a huge strain on transport infrastructure.

Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, leader of Kent County Council, said Medway and Kent was an "estate agent's dream with location, location, location". "The challenge for us is not simply to regenerate but to make it the highest quality of regeneration anywhere within the UK," he said.