The first Garden City to be built in one hundred years has passed a major milestone in its development.

The 700 home at Ebbsfleet Garden City has been completed shortly following the opening of the first pub and primary school.

Ebbsfleet Development Corporation said there are now 703 properties complete, including 21 affordable homes with a further 146 expected in the next two years.

Paul Spooner, interim chief executive of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, said: “There has been a remarkable step change in Ebbsfleet Garden City with seven major housebuilders now on site and hundreds of new completions being achieved.

“In the last year, building work started on more than 600 new properties and if you compare that to the year before when there were none, you can see the rapid progress being made.

“There is now a wide choice of homes available for all salary levels including affordable homes meaning those on average incomes for this area can get their first foot up on the property ladder.”

Last month plans for another 250 homes and a new village centre were approved.

Dartford Councillors have previously spoken out about the need for Crossrail to be extended towards the Garden City to support the increasing population.

Speaking earlier this year, Council leader Jeremy Kite said: "We are very much pushing for this and have been for a while. It is important for Ebbsfleet as well as for the rest of Dartford.

“We are shooting for the moon with this and really want it to extend to Dartford and Ebbsfleet.

“It is a very real solution to the appalling traffic conditions that Dartford faces on a daily basis."

Ebbsfleet Garden City recently marked two more milestones with the opening of its first primary school, Cherry Orchard, at Castle Hill and the first pub and restaurant, the Spring River, also opened this month.

The development corporation has also recently announced a series of investments to speed up infrastructure which have included £30million to forward fund electricity supply to the Garden City and £45million towards the cost of improvements at the Bean and Ebbsfleet junctions of the A2.

The development corporation said there will be 5,100 homes in the Garden City by 2020/21.