The Closure of Pfizer at Sandwich
The announcement by Pfizer last Tuesday that it will be closing its laboratories at Sandwich means that the majority of its 2,400 workforce is now facing redundancy. The loss of jobs on such a scale represents a human calamity for the research scientists and their families as well as a significant loss to the local companies that supply this 340 acre site. Venerable residents will recall the advent of Pfizer in Sandwich in 1954 at a time when food rationing had just ended and many homes were furnished with utility furniture. The arrival of foreign direct investment foreshadowed a brighter future for the generation that had survived the deprivation of the war when so much of East Kent had suffered terribly from aerial bombardment, which for Dovorians included shelling from across the Channel.
Pfizer proved to be a responsible employer with a genuine commitment to its neighbourhood. In recent times, around a million pounds a year of value has come to charities and local voluntary groups through company-orchestrated payroll giving, direct funding and the secondment of staff. In bemoaning the imminent loss of so many jobs, we must remember to celebrate the good times that the investment has brought to the East Kent coastal business community. In common with other major pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer claims to test around 10,000 compounds to find one commercial product. The shortened patent life of commercial successes and the changes in national policies towards generic drugs throughout the developed world has inevitably impacted on the funds available for R&D in the UK.
Although the Pfizer site is officially defined as being in the Dover District, it sits on the border of Thanet which is listed as the most deprived district in Kent with over 4,000 unemployed. Nearly a quarter of all households in Thanet have no adult in employment. Although the National Office for Statistics places the Dover District in a healthier mid position in Kent, the data is heavily influenced by the high-paying posts at Pfizer. Public sector jobs, which represent about a third of the workforce in both districts, are currently diminishing. The announcement of the closure of Pfizer follows hard on redundancy notices issued to Council workers in Thanet and Dover.
There are some bright spots on the horizon; literally in the case of windfarms. Thanet Offshore Windfarm opened last September. An investment of £800 million pounds has produced the world's largest offshore windfarm of 100 turbines. This will be superseded in two years by the even larger London Array, a little further along the coast and a costing a lot more money; £2 billion. The home port of Ramsgate is already benefiting from the influx of maintenance engineers and construction crews. Nearby Monkton is also the home of the UK's largest hydroponics facility at Thanet Earth, When in full production, this will produce 15% of the UK's supplies of cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. A cultural experience is also in the offing when the Turner Contemporary opens on 16th April this year. Dreamland in Margate is expected to reopen as a Heritage Amusement Park in two years. Architectural plans are already in place for a National War Memorial on Dover's Western Heights which is expected to attract 500,000 visitors a year.
In the medium term, Manston Airport offers a realistic hope for sustained regeneration. The owner, Infratil, projects 5 million passenger movements in its current planning. With 1,000 jobs created per million passenger movements, the sooner the development happens the better from the perspective of the local economy. Similarly, the restructuring of the Port of Dover promises a much sharper focus on supporting local industry and on directing the purchasing power of its 13 million cross-channel passengers towards Dover retailers. As the largest business support body in the area, the Dover District Chamber of Commerce is working closely with democratically elected representatives and its sister Chamber in Thanet to find new tenants for the Pfizer site in Sandwich.
