by Trevor Sturgess

Quicker journey times between London and Thanet are key to lifting the East Kent economy, according to Kent County Council leader Paul Carter.

Cllr Carter spoke of the 'appalling housing conditions' he had seen during a recent visit to Margate and Cliftonville. Earnings were well below the national average.

He pointed to the contrasting fortunes of East and West Kent, with 'enormous prosperity' in the latter and 'enormous deprivation' in the former.

Recent unemployment figures showed a growing gap between the two areas, with an emerging East-West divide. "If we are going to bring prosperity to East Kent, we’ve got to improve the access times from London," Cllr Carter said.

That applied especially to Ramsgate. It was essential that Thanet was plugged into the high-speed railway network, so that journey times between Thanet and the capital fell to around an hour.

He called for a new station at Manston to serve Kent International Airport which would, he said, be the biggest driver for change and prosperity in East Kent.

Plans by Infratil, the airport owner, to boost passenger numbers to six million a year would boost local prosperity. An estimated 2,000 jobs are created with every increase of one million passengers.

"If we could get just 20 to 25 per cent of those jobs, it would absolutely transform the East Kent economy," Cllr Carter added.

Cllr Carter made his remarks at the yesterday’s (28) four-stage launch of KCC’s 20-year blueprint for the future of Kent. He revealed his ideas at St Pancras International, Ebbsfleet, Ashford and Folkestone.

He was accompanied by architect Sir Terry Farrell who highlighted the huge potential of coastal Kent, including Thanet. He said it was already coming back to life, pointing out the importance of cultural regeneration such as the Turner Contemporary in Margate. It was also an international destination for water sports and recreation, with an active fishing industry and aquaculture. Ramsgate was a 'hidden treasure' of the whole coastline.

"Kent has most stunning and different coastal towns," he said. "By 2030, Kent will have the UK’s most distinctive and thriving coast."