A 15,000 home development is on track to pop up in Ebbsfleet.

Land across Swanscombe, Northfleet, and around Ebbsfleet International Station – dubbed Ebbsfleet Valley - is planned to be transformed into the UK’s first garden city in a century.

So, what is a Garden City?

The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard.

Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts", containing proportionate areas, of residences, industry and agriculture.

The UK is currently home to two Garden Cities – Welwyn Garden City and Letchworth Garden City.

News Shopper:

A plan of where Ebbsfleet Garden City will cover

Now we’ve got that cleared up, here are ten need-to-know facts about this new city popping up in Kent:

  1. The people behind Ebbsfleet Garden City are the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC). Headed up by chief executive Robin Cooper, the EDC are temporarily based in north Kent police station in Thames Way, Northfleet.
  2. Outline planning permission for a development in Ebbsfleet Valley was first announced by government 20-years-ago in 1996.
  3. In March last year the government announced plans for Ebbsfleet Garden City. Chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne, pledged £200 million of government funding to the development.
  4. The site, which spans parts of Northfleet, Swanscombe and land around Ebbsfleet International Station looks set to house 15,000 homes.
  5. Three secondary schools and seven primary schools are planned for the site.
  6. Proposals for the site also suggest the creation of two swimming pools, two sports halls, two indoor bowls areas and 70 hectares of playing fields and parks.
  7. For the more green-fingered, seven hectares of allotments and 33 hectares of natural green space has been planned.
  8. The development is likely to create 56 new NHS beds at Darent Valley Hospital and fund 18 new GPs for residents of the Garden City.
  9. The site borders Bluewater shopping centre, Ebbsfleet International Station and the Swanscombe Peninsula which is earmarked to play host the £3.2 billion London Paramount entertainment resort.
  10. In a bid to answer public queries EDC hope set up a large kiosk at Ebbsfleet International in two to three months time.

 

News Shopper:

EDC chief executive, Robin Cooper

News Shopper caught up with Mr Cooper for a quick chat about the plans.

He said: “"This has been a long time coming and people are ready for it.

"They are excited about it and the general feeling is good.

"Understandably there is some cynicism but we want to be as transparent as we can possibly be.

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"This will not be your standard commuter town.

"It is 17 minutes from London so it will attract city workers but there will also be 30 per cent affordable housing and the prospect of 27,000 new jobs at London Paramount if things go ahead.

"We hope people from the area will move back from university and stay here, we hope our first family's children will want to live here."