The future of electricity supplied to the new Ebbsfleet Garden City has been secured in a ground-breaking £30m deal that will see new power sub stations and connections installed.

Ebbsfleet Development Corporation will invest in the sub stations and connections to supply power to up to 15,000 homes in the new city centre.

A spokesman for EDC said this is the first time a public body has invested in this way in a development.

The deal is hoped to secure growth in the Garden City which will see 5,100 homes built by 2021 as the money will be claimed back through an agreement reached with UK Power Networks when developers pay for the proportion of electricity they need.

Paul Spooner, interim chief executive of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation said: “This is the first time a development corporation has been able to successfully forward fund electricity which is crucial because our private developer partners know the infrastructure will be there and ready as they continue to build at pace.

“It also future-proofs the Garden City by providing enough supply not only for 15,000 households but for our new city centre, unlocking land to investors for homes, businesses and leisure developments.

“Without this intervention, developers faced significant costs to get the fundamental connection infrastructure, but now they will pay for what they need and their investment in the supply goes straight back into the public purse.”

Jeremy Kite, leader of Dartford Council, recently said infrastructure must come first in Dartford as he defended the Council's progress in delivering houses for the next five years.

Housing and Planning Minister, Alok Sharma, said of ED's announcement: “By investing in vital infrastructure, we can unlock the delivery of thousands of new homes, boost productivity in local areas and support new communities to grow and thrive.

“This infrastructure deal demonstrates our continued commitment to the Ebbsfleet project as a leading example of innovative and ambitious solutions to help fix our broken housing market and increase housing supply.”

Councillors have also recently spoken out about the need for Crossrail to be extended into the Garden City for additional transport options.

More than 600 homes were started in Ebbsfleet Garden City in the last year.

The Garden City’s first primary school, Cherry Orchard, will open in September, 18 months after being given planning permission.

Work has started on a new £12million bridge linking Springhead Park with Ebbsfleet International Station which the EDC secured funding for, as well as a series of new walkways and cycleways across the Garden City.