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Ebbsfleet Valley

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(Redirected from Eastern Quarry)

Ebbsfleet Valley
Planned urban area
Ebbsfleet Valley is located in Kent
Ebbsfleet Valley
Ebbsfleet Valley
Location within Kent
Area2,604 km2 (1,005 sq mi)
Population5,820 (2024 estimate)[1]
• Density2/km2 (5.2/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTQ597730
Civil parish
  • Unparished area
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSWANSCOMBE
Postcode districtDA10
Dialling code01322
PoliceKent
FireKent
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Kent
51°26′04″N 0°17′49″E / 51.434322°N 0.297071°E / 51.434322; 0.297071

Ebbsfleet Valley is a new town and redevelopment area in Kent, South East England, and part of the Thames Gateway, southwest of Gravesend. Development is coordinated by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation. It is named after the valley of the Ebbsfleet River, which it straddles. Although a small part of the site in the east lies within the borough of Gravesham, most of Ebbsfleet Valley is in the borough of Dartford.

History

[edit]

Toponymy

[edit]

The name Ebbsfleet is an artificial creation of a seventeenth-century antiquarian, partly inspired by the name of Ebbsfleet in Thanet, 47 mi (76 km) to the east.[2]

Archaeology

[edit]

The Ebbsfleet River is of historical importance in English history and prehistory, and much archaeological excavation has taken place here over the years. In 2003, during the excavation of HS1, a skeleton of a large adult straight-tusked elephant dating to around 400,000 years ago (MIS 11) was found associated with Clactonian stone tools used to butcher it, likely produced by Homo heidelbergensis or early Neanderthals.[3] Distinctive pottery from the Neolithic age has been discovered; such pots are eponymously known as the "Ebbsfleet ware".[4][5]

Belgic Britons, in the late Iron Age have left behind traces of their culture. Prior to the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in this area, archaeological work undertaken at Ebbsfleet found an Anglo-Saxon mill. The river, which is fed by eight natural springs at Springhead (Latin: Vagniacis), was held sacred by the Celts who settled in the area around 100 BC.[6] They were followed by the Romans; their Watling Street passes through the site, and a villa has been excavated.

Governance

[edit]

The area is primarily in the Ebbsfleet electoral ward of Dartford, returning councillors to Dartford Borough Council.[7] The section in Gravesham elects councillors to Gravesham Borough Council. The Dartford section formed part of the civil parish of Swanscombe and Greenhithe until 2 May 2019 and then became an unparished area.[8] The review of governance leading up to the change had included the option for a new civil parish of Ebbsfleet with a community council.[9]

In 2015, the government established the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation as a non-departmental public body of the Department of Communities and Local Government under the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (Area and Constitution) Order 2015.[10]

Geography

[edit]

Ebbsfleet Valley is located in Kent, in South East England. It is part of a region for redevelopment spanning the Thames Estuary known as the Thames Gateway.[11] It is located southwest of Gravesend and south of Swanscombe. Most of Ebbsfleet Valley is in the borough of Dartford and a small part of the site in the east lies is within the borough of Gravesham.[12]

Redevelopment

[edit]

Much of the land is brownfield and was formerly used by industry; having been previously owned by the APCM, Blue Circle and most recently by Lafarge. The new community is planned to have a population of 40,000.

Ebbsfleet Garden City

[edit]

In March 2014, the UK Government announced it had selected Ebbsfleet for a garden city of 15,000 homes and related infrastructure.[13] It includes land in both Gravesham and Dartford boroughs. As of 2023, Ebbsfleet Garden City is under construction.[14] Alkerden Education Campus will be built.[15] Ebbsfleet Central is a mixed-use project around Ebbsfleet International station.[16] The Health, Education, and Innovation Quarter (HEiQ) is a mixed-use development that will provide community, cultural and retail facilities.[17][18]

Timeline

[edit]
  • 1996: Ebbsfleet Central Outline Application submitted.
  • 1999: Bluewater Shopping Centre opens.
  • 2002: Outline planning permission for homes granted by Gravesham and Dartford Council.
  • 2003: Springhead Masterplan approved, Eastern Quarry Outline Application Submitted.
  • 2004: Swanscombe Peninsula Outline permission submitted for mixed-use scheme.
  • 2007: Eastern Quarry Outline Application approval, Ebbsfleet International Station opens for HS1 rail service, First residential development started at Springhead in Gravesham.
  • 2009: Ebbsfleet International Domestic Services Commence.
  • 2011: October Dartford Core Strategy Adopted.
  • 2012: Eastern Quarry Revised Masterplan Approval.
  • 2014: London Resort NSIP Status Awarded, Gravesham Core Strategy Adopted.
  • 2015: Ebbsfleet Garden City & Ebbsfleet Development Corporation established.
  • 2017: Ebbsfleet Healthy New Towns pilot begins, Castle Hill Community Centre & Cherry Orchard Primary Academy opened, Works begin to construct Springhead Bridge.
  • 2019: Major electrical grid improvements bring power to Ebbsfleet, Ebbsfleet Development Corporation purchases a 125-hectare site around Ebbsfleet International.
  • 2020: A2 Bean and Bluewater network improvements, Ebbsfleet's 2000th home completed, Springhead Bridge opens to the public and wins the Civil Project of the Year at SECBE Constructing Excellence Award.
  • 2022: Ebbsfleet Development Corporation submitted the outline planning application for the first phase of new development in Ebbsfleet Central.

Sustainability

[edit]

The development is proposed to be net-zero carbon upon completion. The development participated in the The Queen's Green Canopy initiative during the Platinum Jubilee in 2022 to encourage greening.

Richard Rogers, a former government adviser on cities, said: "They shouldn’t be building down there. East London still has masses of brownfield land, so why are we building 15 miles out? This is not a sustainable option."[19]

Reaction

[edit]

The development is referred to as a garden city, intended to be sustainable with publicly owned infrastructure and facilities, with inhabitants working on the estates. This was said to be inspired by the Stockholm suburbs such as Hammarby where the design there is to have cycleways, and 1,500 self-build homes, houseboats and parkland. The planning committee chair, Derek Hunnisett, said "We are looking for a higher quality than the normal and what we are getting [so far] is the norm – standard off-the-peg stuff.".[19]

The current development already contradicts policy and academic papers written in recent times to inform the coalition government's 'blueprint'. "A strong landscape structure, that matures over time to create a leafy green character. Tree lined streets, green verges and planted front gardens".[20]

The Ebbsfleet Garden City development has faced criticisms concerning the concept of a new garden city, quality of housing, and insufficient planning.[21][22] Critics argue that the initial proposal for a garden city was a veil over inadequate planning and expressed concerns over the slow pace of housing construction and the quality of the built homes.[23] Additionally, the aspiration for a healthy urbanism initiative is a response to ensure high-quality housing and well-integrated social and economic infrastructure, addressing some of the criticisms indirectly.[24]

London Resort

[edit]

The London Resort were given permission to build a theme park on potential housing land on the adjoining Swanscombe Peninsula site, nationally significant infrastructure project status, allowing the developers to bypass local planning requirements[25] and build a leisure complex that by 2019 may create employment for 27,000 people. Highways England consulted, in early 2017, about improvements to the A2 junctions in the area, citing a traffic increase of 200%.[26]

Economy

[edit]

The development of Ebbsfleet Garden City is expected to provide 32,000 new jobs.[27][28]

The area was used by BT for a trial of broadband and telephone via optical fibre cable.[29]

Transport

[edit]
Southeastern British Rail Class 395 High Speed EMU at Ebbsfleet International station in 2009

Ebbsfleet International railway station was opened in November 2007. Domestic services on High Speed 1 to St Pancras railway station in central London are operated by Southeastern.[30] It used to provide Eurostar services to Continental Europe, although these trains no longer call.[31][32]

Fastrack route E operated by Go-Ahead London runs from Castle Hill in Ebbsfleet to Gravesend. Ebbsfleet was served by Arriva bus services 484, 485 and 485A but it has since been replaced by the ArrivaClick demand responsive transport on 30 November 2020. On 11 December 2024, it was announced that Ebbsfleet will close ArrivaClick from 31 December 2024.[33] Go-Coach now operates the Go2 demand-responsive transport service since 3rd February 2025 serving surrounding areas such as Castle Hill, Greenhithe and Swanscombe.[34]

Civic identity

[edit]

The football team Gravesend and Northfleet FC changed their name to Ebbsfleet United F.C. in the summer of 2007. Another move to promote a sense of identity in the new town is a planned landmark, which when built will be 50 m (160 ft) high (twice as high as the Angel of the North) and is intended to be visible from road, rail and air. However, in June 2012, the project was stalled by a lack of funding.[35][36][37][38][39] Swan Valley Community School closed in 2013, and was replaced by the Ebbsfleet Academy.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Ebbsfleet Valley Built-up Area". www.citypopulation.de. 2 January 2026. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Keith Briggs, The two Ebbsfleets in Kent. Journal of the English Place-Name Society 44, 5–9
  3. ↑ Wenban‐Smith, F. F.; Allen, P.; Bates, M. R.; Parfitt, S. A.; Preece, R. C.; Stewart, J. R.; Turner, C.; Whittaker, J. E. (2006). "The Clactonian elephant butchery site at Southfleet Road, Ebbsfleet, UK". Journal of Quaternary Science. 21 (5): 471–483. doi:10.1002/jqs.1033. ISSN 0267-8179.
  4. ↑ The Book of Gravesham, Sidney Harker, 1979, Barracuda Books Ltd ISBN 0-86023-091-0
  5. ↑ "British History Online: The Neolithic Age". Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  6. ↑ Springhead: the temple complex Archived 22 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ "Ebbsfleet". MapIt. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "The Dartford Borough Council (Reorganisation of Community Governance) Order 2018". Dartford Borough Council. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "Special Town Council Agenda Papers" (PDF). Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  10. ↑ "Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (Area and Constitution) Order 2015". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  11. ↑ "Ebbsfleet Valley". BBC Kent. 3 August 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2014.
  12. ↑ Barkham, Patrick (1 October 2014). "Britain's housing crisis: are garden cities the answer?". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  13. ↑ "15,000-home garden city to be built at Ebbsfleet". BBC News. 16 March 2014. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  14. ↑ Champ, Hamish. "Ebbsfleet Garden City villages given planning nod". Housing Today. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  15. ↑ Langridge, Alex (17 July 2023). "Education campus for 2,200 pupils delayed for three years". Kent Online. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Morby, Aaron (6 January 2026). "Bid race starts for Ebbsfleet £115m central enabling works". Construction Enquirer. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "Ebbsfleet Healthy Garden City". Sarah Wigglesworth Architects. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  18. ↑ "Ebbsfleet". NHS England. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  19. 1 2 Booth, Robert (4 January 2016). "Vision of Ebbsfleet garden city for 65,000 struggles to take root". Guardian UK. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  20. ↑ Parkham, Sarah (2016). "Garden Cities, Why Not?" (PDF). The Garden City Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  21. ↑ Cook, William (17 March 2014). "Why building a new garden city at Ebbsfleet is a terrible idea". The Spectator. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  22. ↑ "Garden city needs 'better quality housing'". Kent Online. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  23. ↑ Martin, Daryl (21 March 2014). "New garden city at Ebbsfleet is thin veil over Osborne's insufficient housing policy". The Conversation. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  24. ↑ hspineo (18 June 2022). "Ebbsfleet Garden City". Healthy Urbanism. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  25. ↑ Chiorando, Maria. "London Paramount park receives planning boost". Kent News. Archant. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  26. ↑ "Improvements and major road projects | A2 Bean and Ebbsfleet junction improvements". roads.highways.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  27. ↑ Higginson, Harry (20 June 2021). "The new Kent village slowly getting bigger and bigger". Kent Live. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  28. ↑ Chessum, Victoria (3 June 2022). "The new garden city changing a huge part of Kent by 2035". Kent Live. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  29. ↑ Meyer, David (10 January 2008). "BT fibre trial to start in August". ZDNet.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  30. ↑ "High Speed Trains". Southeastern Railway. p. 1. Archived from the original on 30 January 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  31. ↑ "Eurostar confirms no Kent stops in 2024". Kent Online. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  32. ↑ "Eurostar withdraws services and stops to focus on core routes". Railjournal. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  33. ↑ "ArrivaClick launches in Kent with new on-demand public transport service". Arriva PLC. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  34. ↑ "go2 Ebbsfleet | Go Coach". www.go-coach.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
  35. ↑ BBC News, "Sculpture 'will be icon of South' Archived 1 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine"
  36. ↑ BBC News, "There is no Ebbsfleet Archived 1 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine"
  37. ↑ BBC News, "£2m sculpture designs revealed Archived 10 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine"
  38. ↑ The Guardian, Images of the shortlisted designs Archived 27 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine"
  39. ↑ Marijke Cox (30 June 2012). "Ebbsfleet white horse stalled by lack of funding". Kent News. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ebbsfleet_Valley&oldid=1364136790#Designation_as_a_Garden_City_and_government_support"