The Thames Gateway project is in danger of being overshadowed by other ambitious government schemes such as the Oxford-Cambridge arc, regeneration specialists fear.

Last month the communities secretary James Brokenshire finally responded on behalf of the government to a report by the Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission, chaired by Sir John Armitt and featuring heavyweight talents including architects Sadie Morgan and Sir Stuart Lipton and Homes England boss Sir Edward Lister.

Amid a series of opportunities including the potential arrival of Crossrail, the creation of 1.3 million jobs and the building of a million homes, Armitt’s report argued that “without concerted action there is a risk that the Thames Estuary will fail to achieve its potential, at huge opportunity cost to local communities and the national economy”.