DETAILS of how more than £9bn of Government cash is to be spent in the Thames Gate­way have been revealed.

The largest regeneration project in Europe, the Thames Gateway stretches both sides of the river from Canary Wharf to Southend in Essex and Sittingbourne in Kent.

Its delivery plan envisages 160,000 homes, 225,000 jobs, new colleges, parks and her­itage areas.

It is anticipated the Green­wich peninsula will get 10,000 of the jobs, with nearly 8,000 in Belvedere and 7,000 in Dart­ford and Gravesend.

Transport in the Thames Gateway will get £100m from the Government's £300m com­munity infrastructure fund and the proposed schemes include new roads, pedestrian access, cycle and car parking facilities at Dartford station.

Northfleet station will also be rebuilt, increasing capacity.

There will be a range of mea­sures to improve links to north Lewisham and the l00 year-old Greenwich and Woolwich foot tunnels will be modernised.

Projects already announced include Crossrail, to connect east and west London, and dou­bling the capacity of the Dock­lands Light Railway (DLR) to Lewisham by 2009.

When the DLR extension to Woolwich is complete, it is expected to generate 64,500 sq m of retail space and 6,000 homes.

The Gateway is expected to get at least 27 new or refur­bished secondary school build­ings and there will be new school places provided as the population grows.

Lewisham will get 10 new Sure Start children's centres, Bexley will get seven and Greenwich six.

Town centres, including Erith, are being improved with more green spaces.

Crossness Pumping Station, Woolwich Arsenal, Gravesend

Old Town Hall, heritage trail and Canal Basin have also been earmarked as heritage sites.

Supported developments include Belvedere as well as Crayford and Eiith, which are about to undergo major regen­eration.

Woolwich, New Cross, Charl­ton and Deptford are also iden­tified for major development for business and homes, as well as a new transport inter­change in Woolwich.

Dartford will get commercial and retail expansion, new homes, sport and leisure facili­ties with a major expansion of Central Park and the revival of the Darent Valley as a green route.

Ebbsfleet and Gravesend are also earmarked for major retail, housing, community and transport schemes.