DC chairman called to head up Boris Johnson's plan to ruin Thurrock

THE chairman of Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation has been appointed by Mayor of London Boris Johnson to set up and chair his Outer London Commission.

Will McKee will advise the Mayor on the London Plan and other policies to ensure outer London realises its full potential.

Mr Johnson said: "For too many years the focus of the previous Mayoralty has been channeled towards inner London and a few favoured areas. The vital role played by our town centres and communities in the suburbs has been overlooked, if not ignored, to the detriment of all Londoners.

"I am determined to redress that imbalance and tap into this rich source of business and planning expertise to create an even stronger and more vibrant outer London which will ensure the capital remains an economic force to be reckoned with for generation after generation.”

The new Commission will identify up to five areas to become outer London growth hubs. The aim is to pinpoint successful town centres with the potential to improve further and support their development through the Mayor's London Plan and other policies.

This will ensure existing vibrant town centres play their full role in guaranteeing the continued success of London’ s economy.

The Commission will also showcase examples of town centre excellence, by looking at best practices which have contributed to the success of our existing outer London town centres, to inform the Mayor’s future policy development. It will report back to the Mayor in 2009.

Mr McKee is a former Director General of the British Property Federation and former Chief Executive of Merton Council. He is currently Chairman of Tilfen Land and the Urban Exposure Group as well as chairing the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation.

He said: “I am delighted to be offered this crucial challenge to build a team that will examine and change the way we develop our great city.

"We will work hard to identify these new hubs and the ideas that have built outer London’s successful town centres so that they can be applied across the capital.”

From 1993 until 2002, Mr McKee was Director General of the British Property Federation and Chairman of the European Property Federation from 1996 until 2002.

From 1999-2002, he was Chairman of the CBI Trade Association Council, a member of the CBI President's committee and Vice-chairman of the National Planning Forum. He has been a member of numerous Government review bodies. A town planner, traffic engineer and chartered surveyor by profession, he was Chief Executive of the London Borough of Merton 1981-92 and Director of Planning & Development at various London Boroughs before that.

Since 2003, he has been a visiting Fellow in Property at Reading University. William McKee received the CBE in the 2002 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to the property industry.