Back in 2004, Thurrock was ‘a bit of a backwater’. Few people outside South Essex could have pointed to it on the map and no one would have imagined that so many people would actually choose to move here. How things have changed in 20 years.

Increasing environmental awareness made the difference, and wildlife was probably the trigger. Most of the millions of wild birds that migrate each year between the British Isles and Southern Africa fly through the funnel of the Thames estuary. Huge numbers of swifts and swallows, warblers and rarer species such as bitterns and nightingales link Thurrock with the wider world.

The spectacular cleanup at the end of the last century made this the least polluted urban estuary in Europe. Scientists now estimate that half the fish in the North Sea spend some of their life in the tidal Thames. Twenty years ago there were concerns that the offshore wind farms would disrupt fish-stock recovery but instead, by cleverly constructing the turbines on artificial reefs, the quality and the quantity of fishing has increased.

Public interest in conservation triggered a significant change of attitude towards the use of land within Thurrock. The shocking national decline in songbird numbers, and particularly the loss of familiar species such as the house sparrow, the song thrush and the swallow, signalled the need for change. The RSPB and others showed that even when swallows and warblers survived the 4,000 mile journey from south of the Sahara they were still at risk from a lack of food and roosting habitat on their arrival in the UK. This led to the establishment of a great many small reed beds and woodland planting schemes in Thurrock, and these have proved extremely valuable for people as well as for wildlife. The woodlands are now providing shelter and improved air quality, and the new wetlands help to store storm water, filter pollution and reduce the risk of local flooding.

The international ecological importance of this part of Britain was boosted by the establishment of SAIL at the start of the century. It seems so obvious now, but the idea of a partnership between the four nations that border the southern North Sea was truly revolutionary at the time. Until then, the sea had always separated communities but SAIL showed that the marine environment was in fact the truly common ground for those who lived and worked around the coast. This prompted Thurrock to rethink its position and now there are thriving links with the other towns and cities that fringe the North Sea.

Thurrock has a rich ecological resource of coastal marshes, tidal creeks and mudflats, as well as Tilbury’s great seafaring heritage. Sharing responsibility for the recovery of the North Sea has inspired a new sense of pride across the borough. Instead of feeling marginalised ‘somewhere beyond the edge of London’, Thurrock now sits proudly at the heart of an international community, with its roots firmly re-established in the distinctive landscape of Estuary Essex.

The various public health scares of the early 21st century had a powerful and positive effect on attitudes towards places like Thurrock. There was growing concern that we were becoming an obese nation, grazing on unhealthy processed food and plagued by allergies and stress-related illness. Many people began to look for a different kind of life style, where they could live in green surroundings, enjoy more active leisure time and eat healthy local food. Thurrock scored highly in the healthy eating stakes, thanks to the farming countryside of South Essex, the wonderful lamb and beef from the grazing marshes of the National Nature Reserves, and the thriving commercial fisheries of the Thames Estuary.

Ironically, the extensive legacy of post industrial dereliction also proved to be an asset. With so much wasted brownfield land in Thurrock, there was room to build new homes and businesses within a rich mosaic of generous open space. The early decision to plant as much of the vacant land as possible with simple urban forestry was a masterstroke. The cost was very low and involving local people in growing and planting so many of the saplings built public confidence to tackle more ambitious projects. Some of the fast growing woodland of birch, alder and wild cherry has already been sacrificed to the building boom, but by retaining woodland belts around site boundaries, most people now live and work in well established natural surroundings. The resulting network of green spaces also provides attractive footpath routes and cycleway and these in turn encourage many more people to travel locally without their cars—increasing general fitness whilst reducing air and noise pollution.

Such strong commitment to a greener Thurrock had its critics in the early days. Some conservationists were concerned that trees would spoil the wide and windswept open spaces of the coastal landscape, whilst some parents with young children were concerned that green and leafy neighbourhoods might be dangerous. On both counts it was public participation that produced the truly sustainable outcomes that we see today. By using the local knowledge of the Essex naturalists, and working hard to increase ecological understanding in schools and elsewhere, the new landscapes were designed to respect the best of the existing habitats. Everyone was encouraged to play an active part in shaping their surroundings, and although this challenged the traditional role of the local authority, and sometimes stretched the voluntary organisations and local community groups, it made a massive difference to the end result. By tapping in to local knowledge, sharing anxieties and arguing for more appropriate use of resources, Thurrock’s changing landscape can now be seen as a truly popular success.

One message came through loud and clear in all those early consultations. There was a deep desire to reinforce the region’s positive local character. People consistently expressed concern that everywhere now looked the same and that anticipated housing growth in Thames Gateway might make matters worse. Luckily the network of established towns and villages in South Essex still offered a wealth of local character, and now Thurrock is seen as a flagship demonstration of the way new homes and businesses can be designed and built to complement their neighbours. Somehow, developers have managed to combine the very best of modern building standards for energy efficiency, use of local labour and materials and all the other features of sustainable development, within a safe and sympathetic setting which appeals to people.

One more vital ingredient has helped to make Thurrock a shining example of liveability in the 2020s. Like a great many other places that were seen for years as inconvenient or inaccessible, Information Technology has turned geography on its head. Living ‘in the sticks and out of touch’ simply no longer applies. The two hour daily commute has become a thing of the past for most of us, and although there is still an occasional need to travel to London, people who live and work in Thurrock really have the best of all worlds. There are close cultural and communication links to continental Europe, easy access to some of the wildest natural countryside in England, settlements that have the strength of character of traditional market towns and villages, and a population proud of its history and of the improved environment that it has helped to bring to life. No wonder Thurrock has become a place where people choose to raise their kids, succeed in business or enjoy old age.

Chris Baines is one of the UK’s leading environmental campaigners, an independent consultant, and an award-winning writer and broadcaster. He is a Trustee of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund, President of the Thames Estuary Partnership and of the Association for Environment Conscious Building and national Vice President of the Wildlife Trusts.