£50m 'green' business park will boost jobs in east London

Plans for a £50million "green" business park in east London have been unveiled.

The Sustainable Industries Park in Dagenham Dock will cover 60 acres and, it is hoped, house hundreds of eco-friendly companies.

The London Thames Gateway Development Corporation, which is behind the project, also plans to build a research laboratory, the Institute for Sustainability, there.

It would allow scientists to work on products and processes, including new ways to deal with waste and harness wind and tidal power.

The corporation has already invested £19 million in the park which it believes could create 1,500 jobs. It hopes the park will put east London in the vanguard of green technology centres.

Chief executive Peter Andrews said: "It's an excellent opportunity. The area already boasts a healthy base of environmental technology businesses ... [and] is undergoing an unprecedented level of redevelopment and investment in infrastructure."