PRIME Minister Gordon Brown paid a surprise visit to the Thames Gateway Forum at London’s ExCel on Thursday – and signed up to Thames Gateway Delivery Plan setting out for the first time how £9 billion will be spent to deliver Europe’s largest regeneration project.

Medway will be one of the first areas to benefit with the announcement of a 600 home carbon zero development of houses and parkland at Rochester Riverside.

In all, £50 million of additional Government cash will be spent in Medway in the next three years.

Councils across north Kent are rubbing their hands in glee after Communities Minister, Yvette Cooper, announced £500 million is to be invested in the Thames Gateway over the next three years.

The government cash will be in addition to billions to be spent on regenerating North Kent and South Essex by developers.

Speaking at the Thames Gateway Forum at London’s Excel, Ms Cooper said: “Since last year the Government has secured funding for major projects that are transforming the Gateway – the new deal on Crossrail, a new high speed line, and London Gateway, the biggest deepwater port in Europe.

“We have already achieved a great deal but we must raise our ambitions and go further and faster.

“We’ve now set out plans and money to do so – with a new eco-region offering a great quality of life for its inhabitants; with new educational opportunities and transport links as well as affordable homes; and with better training to equip the local workforce to benefit from the 225,000 new jobs in their area.”

The first big cash investment is for Rochester. Crest Nicholson is to follow up its award-winning Ingress Park scheme at Greenhithe with the world’s first zero carbon development.

It will build the first 600 homes at Rochester Riverside, together with new parks and riverside pubs and cafes.

Judith Armitt, chief executive of Thames Gateway and formerly with Medway Council, announced that almost £50 million of additional government cash is to be spent in Medway in the next three years with £20.1 million going on Chatham Centre and Waterfront.

The biggest Kent investment will be on the Kent Thameside waterfront developments at Northfleet, Swanscombe, Gravesend and The Bridge where $20.6 million will be spent in addition to nearly £1 billion of private funding.

Swale and Bexley are also to benefit.

Mrs Armitt admitted that there was a lot to be done to get the communities of north Kent and Essex to support the opportunities offered by the regeneration project.