ABOUT THAMES FREEPORT:
The Thames Freeport is a geographical area in the United Kingdom that has been designated as a Freeport tax site by the British government on December 15, 2021.
The Thames Freeport includes the ports of Tilbury and DP World London Gateway, as well as Ford’s Dagenham plant. The tax sites within Thames Freeport are recognised by law as areas where businesses can benefit from tax reliefs to bring investment, trade, and jobs to regenerate regions across the country that need it most. The Thames Freeport is expected to draw £4.5 billion of new investment and create 21,000 skilled jobs.
ABOUT THAMES FREEPORT:
CLOSER, CLEANER, CLUSTER
CLOSER
Thames Freeport is closer to Europe’s largest and most economically important consumer market than any other enterprise zone. With 18 million people on its doorstep, it is the perfect place to grow your business.
CLEANER
Thames Freeport is committed to decarbonisation and the circular economy. With its intermodal capabilities across river, rail and road, it is the cleaner choice for logistics, manufacturing and investment in innovation.
CLUSTER
A world-class industrial cluster is taking shape on the banks of the River Thames. Thames Freeport is a beacon for clean energy technologies, added-value manufacturing, and advanced logistics, with unrivalled global connectivity to over 130 ports in over 65 countries.
OUR PARTNERS
DP World London Gateway is the UK’s largest and most integrated logistics facility, with a container port handling over 2 million units per year, a rail terminal with over 60 weekly services and a 9.25 million square foot, well connected, logistics park.
The Port of Tilbury is the largest of the Thames ports. Tilbury handles 16m tonnes of cargo per annum across 31 independent working terminals including the UK’s largest grain terminal and paper hub.
Home to Ford Dagenham, the largest manufacturing site in London, this unique location gives access to regional manufacturing clusters, proximity to suppliers, and brings key production closer to the end market.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
THAMES FREEPORT BENEFITS
40% of rent equivalent saved over first five years
0% Employer National Insurance contributions for 3 years on new jobs
10% per annum enhanced structures & buildings allowance
Lean Customs Arrangements, Duty & VAT deferment
1,700 acres (689 Hectares) of development land available
100% Business Rates Relief (5 years)
Incentives now extended to September 2031
0% Stamp Duty Land Tax
Duty exemption on goods re-exported
WHY THAMES FREEPORT?
STRATEGIC LOCATION
Thames Freeport is strategically positioned along the River Thames in London. It offers easy access to Europe’s largest consumer market of 18 million people within 120 km and connects to over 130 ports in over 65 international markets. With its proximity to major transportation hubs and excellent connectivity by river, road, rail and sea, your products can reach consumers quicker and more cost effective than you expect.
EUROPE’S LARGEST CONSUMER MARKET
London’s three iconic food markets – Smithfield, Billingsgate and New Spitalfields are all moving to a new combined site for wholesale food on our doorstep in Dagenham. Thames Freeport can facilitate a new era of low-carbon, river-borne logistics, serving a number of consumer markets.
TAX & CUSTOMS BENEFITS
Enjoy a range of tax incentives, making it more affordable to set-up and operate your manufacturing or value-add processing facility within the Freeport. Setting up premises in the Thames Freeport offers simplified customs procedures, reduced tariffs, and access to streamlined logistics, reducing the time and costs associated with imports and exports.
AT THE CENTRE OF A THRIVING ECOSYSTEM
We offer partnerships with local educational institutions for specialised training. Innovative skills programmes including degree apprenticeships, a Logistics Academy and Institutes of Technology combine to nurture and retain talented people in the region. Complemented by a multi-million pound Skills Fund.
STATE-OF-THE-ART INFRASTRUCTURE
Our partners are world leaders in making trade flow and have invested over £2.5 billion in port and logistics infrastructure over the past 10 years, with over £3 billion of further investment planned. The Thames Freeport offers modern infrastructure tailored to the unique needs of manufacturers, including temperature-controlled storage, distribution facilities, and advanced production spaces. Investment in hydrogen and alternative fuel infrastructure will spur the development of a green logistics cluster with enormous growth potential.
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
The UK has established itself at the forefront of innovation, collaborating with leading research institutions and industry experts to drive innovation in food processing and packaging, smart homes, retrofitting and hydrogen. In collaboration with South Korea, we will establish a Smart Homes Hub in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham to research homes fit for the future. This will provide R&D opportunities for the Thames Freeport.
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