CampbellReith was appointed to coordinate the Environmental Impact Assessment and produce the Environmental Statement as part of an outline planning application for regeneration of areas of brownfield land and development of adjacent areas of grazing marsh on the Isle of Sheppey, which is located on the exposed north coast of Kent, within the Thames Gateway.

The relative isolation of the area had historically resulted in social, educational and employment deprivation. The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), in partnership with Swale Borough Council (SBC), Kent County Council (KCC) and substantially Central Government funding developed an ambitious regeneration project based around the towns of Queenborough and Rushenden.

The development area included 18 hectares of residential and community use with up to 1,200
new dwellings focusing around a new two-basin marina. A new 1-km Rushenden Link Road over the
railway opened up access to 64 hectares of new mixed employment commercial development. CampbellReith prepared a Strategic Environmental Assessment for the link road alternatives, in advance of the subsequent Environmental Impact Assessment process.

By virtue of the nature of proposed development and geographical context, key issues included ecological impact and effects on adjacent designated nature conservation sites at local, national and European level; landscape and visual impact; traffic and transportation and community and social effects.

The detailed liaison, negotiation and reporting to a range of statutory and non-statutory
consultees were of particular importance in order to demonstrate to their satisfaction that the development will have no net adverse impact on the local, national and internationally important adjacent grazing marsh, marsh land and intertidal mud flats.

Subsequent to the outline planning application, CampbellReith was project manager in the first phase of the development for a range of commercial and light industrial uses which would add 800 new jobs to the local economy. This required the development of the conceptual and detailed design and the submission of a wide range of documents to support not only the masterplan but also this first phase of the project.