Ebbsfleet Valley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ebbsfleet Valley |
|
|---|---|
 Ebbsfleet Valley
|
|
| OS grid reference | TQ597730 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District |
|
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SWANSCOMBE |
| Postcode district | DA10 |
| Dialling code | 01987 |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
Ebbsfleet Valley is a brand new town and a developing area in Kent, South East England. It's part of the Thames Gateway project, located southwest of Gravesend. A special group called the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation is in charge of planning and building this new community.
The area gets its name from the Ebbsfleet River, which flows through it. While a small part of Ebbsfleet Valley is in the Gravesham area, most of it is located in the Dartford area.
| Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
What's in a Name?
The name Ebbsfleet was actually made up by a historian in the 1600s. It was partly inspired by another place called Ebbsfleet, Thanet, which is about 47 miles (76 km) to the east.
Building a New Town
Much of the land in Ebbsfleet Valley used to be industrial sites, known as brownfield land. This means it was previously used by factories and businesses, like cement companies such as Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers, Blue Circle, and Lafarge.
The plan is for this new community to have about 40,000 people living here. Ebbsfleet International railway station opened in November 2007. It used to have trains going to other countries in Europe on High Speed 1, but now it mainly has fast domestic trains that go to St Pancras railway station in central London, run by Southeastern.
In March 2014, the British government announced a plan to build a "garden city" in Ebbsfleet. This garden city could have up to 15,000 homes. It stretches across both the Gravesham and Dartford areas. The goal is to build high-quality homes quickly, along with local job opportunities, green spaces, and all the necessary services to make Ebbsfleet a great place to live and work.
Ebbsfleet is also an "NHS Healthy Town." This means there are plans for a health and wellbeing center, plus new paths for cycling and walking that connect to the Bluewater shopping center. More than 40% of the area is planned to be green parks and blue spaces (like rivers or lakes), making it a nature-friendly place for everyone. In November 2015, the government invested £300 million to help get the project started.
Some people, like Richard Rogers, who used to advise the government on cities, have questioned the location. He 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."
Ebbsfleet Garden City Projects
Ebbsfleet Garden City is currently seeing a lot of building work. Many plans have been approved for homes, schools, and mixed-use areas (places with both homes and businesses). This is all part of the bigger idea to create a well-connected and sustainable community. Many new homes are being built, with different projects at various stages of planning and construction.
Some important housing projects include:
- Alkerden Village: This area has plans for 227 new homes, adding to an earlier phase of 91 homes. A third phase is also being discussed. These homes are being built by Redrow Homes and a partnership between Henley Investment Management and Chartway Partnerships Group.
- Bellway Homes Developments: This company has permission to build 303 homes in two separate projects.
- Affordable Housing Units: The first phase of 125 affordable homes has been approved, with a total of 375 planned.
- Ebbsfleet Central East: Plans have been submitted for a mixed-use area here. It would include about 2,100 homes, offices, shops, and a Health and Wellbeing Hub.
New schools are also part of the plan, with Alkerden Education Campus and Cable Wharf School being developed. The Mixed-Use Developments include the Ebbsfleet Central project, which aims to turn the area around Ebbsfleet International Station into a modern city center.
Also, Ebbsfleet Central and the Health, Education, and Innovation Quarter (HEiQ) are big mixed-use projects being planned. They aim to create a lively city center with community spaces, cultural facilities, and shops. The area also plans to have over 50 new parks and open spaces, with projects like City Parks and Cherry Orchard Primary Academy already underway.
Key Dates in Ebbsfleet's Development
- 1996: Plans for Ebbsfleet Central were first submitted.
- 1999: The Bluewater Shopping Centre opened nearby.
- 2002: Plans for homes were approved by local councils.
- 2003: The Springhead Masterplan was approved.
- 2004: Plans for a mixed-use area on the Swanscombe Peninsula were submitted.
- 2007: Plans for Eastern Quarry were approved, and Ebbsfleet International Station opened. The first homes started to be built at Springhead.
- 2009: Domestic train services began at Ebbsfleet International.
- 2014: The London Resort (a theme park) was given special status.
- 2015: Ebbsfleet Garden City and the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation were officially created.
- 2017: Ebbsfleet started a pilot program to be a "Healthy New Town." The Castle Hill Community Centre and Cherry Orchard Primary Academy opened. Work began on Springhead Bridge.
- 2019: Major improvements were made to the electricity grid, bringing power to Ebbsfleet. The Ebbsfleet Development Corporation bought a large area of land around Ebbsfleet International.
- 2020: Road improvements were made near the A2. Ebbsfleet's 2,000th home was finished. Springhead Bridge opened to the public and won an award.
- 2022: The Ebbsfleet Development Corporation submitted plans for the first phase of new development in Ebbsfleet Central.
Public Opinion
The development is called a garden city, aiming to be sustainable with public facilities and local jobs. This idea was inspired by places like Hammarby in Stockholm, which has cycle paths, self-build homes, houseboats, and parkland.
However, some people have concerns. Derek Hunnisett, who chairs the planning committee, 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." This means he feels the homes being built aren't as high quality as they should be for a garden city.
The development has faced criticism about whether it truly fits the idea of a "garden city," the quality of the homes, and if the planning was good enough. Critics say the idea of a garden city might have hidden some problems with the initial planning. They also worry about how slowly homes are being built and the quality of the finished houses. The plan for a healthy urban area is a way to try and make sure the homes are high quality and that there are good social and economic services.
London Paramount Entertainment Resort
In May, the London Paramount Entertainment Resort was given permission to build a theme park on the nearby Swanscombe Peninsula. This project was given "nationally significant infrastructure project" status, which allowed the developers to skip some local planning rules. By 2019, this leisure complex was expected to create jobs for 27,000 people. In early 2017, there were discussions about improving the A2 road junctions in the area, as traffic was expected to increase by 200% because of the theme park.
Fast Internet for Ebbsfleet
BT, a telecommunications company, is testing a new fiber optic network in Ebbsfleet Valley. This could offer some of the fastest internet speeds in the United Kingdom for home users. It has been confirmed that they will offer speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbit/s), which will deliver TV, internet, and phone services through optical fiber cables. People living and working in the area will get a new phone dialing code, 01987. This code was introduced in April 2008.
How Ebbsfleet is Governed
The area used to be part of the Swanscombe and Greenhithe civil parish until May 2, 2019. After that, it became an "unparished area," meaning it doesn't have its own local parish council.
Ebbsfleet Development Corporation
In 2015, the government created the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation. This is a special public body that works with the government's Department of Communities and Local Government. Its main job is to oversee building projects by private companies and to approve planning requests for the designated development area.
Ancient Discoveries
The Ebbsfleet River area is very important for understanding English history, even from prehistoric times. Many archaeological digs have happened here over the years. Digging in the quarries has shown signs of people living here as far back as 100,000 years ago! Tools made from flint have been found, along with the remains of an ancient straight-tusked elephant. Unique pottery from the Neolithic age (New Stone Age) has also been discovered.
People from the Belgic Britons tribe, who lived in the late Iron Age, left traces of their culture. Before the Channel Tunnel Rail Link was built in this area, archaeologists found an Anglo-Saxon mill. The river, which is fed by eight natural springs at Springhead, was considered sacred by the Celts who settled in the area around 100 BC. The Romans followed them, and their famous road, Watling Street, passes through the site. An ancient Roman villa has also been found here.
A large flooded quarry, called Sawyer's Lake, is also nearby.
Chalk and Cement History
The chalk and cement industry has a long history in Ebbsfleet Valley. This is because the region has a lot of chalk, which has been used for centuries to make cement. This industry has greatly changed the landscape. In 1796, James Parker set up special ovens (kilns) to make 'Roman' cement, starting large-scale cement production along the Northfleet Creek.
The industry had a huge impact. For example, in 1868, Swanscombe Manor, which was mostly farmland, was sold to a cement boss named Thomas Bevan. This led to a lot of digging for chalk and clay over the next 100 years, turning Swanscombe into an area surrounded by huge chalk pits and steep cliffs.
The history of the chalk and cement industry has set the stage for today's developments. The old Northfleet Cement Works site is now being redeveloped to include 532 new homes as part of the Ebbsfleet Garden City plan. Old chalk quarries and cement factories are being turned into a mixed-use area with up to 15,000 new homes, millions of square feet of business space, and areas for shops, fun activities, community centers, and schools. Recently, plans were approved for 1,700 homes in a former quarry site in Kent, showing how the region is still changing from its industrial past.
Getting Around Ebbsfleet
Ebbsfleet International railway station is served by Southeastern High Speed trains. It used to have Eurostar services to Europe.
Ebbsfleet used to have bus services 484, 485, and 485A, but these were replaced on November 30, 2020, by ArrivaClick, which is a bus service you can book on demand.
Bus route C2, currently run by Go-Coach (and soon by Fastrack), connects Ebbsfleet's Castle Hill to Gravesend.
Local Identity
The local football team, Gravesend and Northfleet FC, changed its name to Ebbsfleet United F.C. in the summer of 2007 to help create a sense of identity for the new town. There were also plans for a landmark, which would be 50 meters (164 ft) high (twice as tall as the Angel of the North) and visible from roads, trains, and even the air. However, in June 2012, this project was put on hold because there wasn't enough money.
Swan Valley Community School closed in 2013 and was replaced by The Ebbsfleet Academy. This new school operates from the same building and serves the same communities but has completely new management and mostly new staff.
Protecting the Environment
Environmental sustainability is a key part of the plan for Ebbsfleet Garden City. Here are some important goals:
- The city aims to produce net-zero carbon emissions when it's finished. This means it wants to be very good at generating, distributing, and using energy efficiently.
- There's a plan to develop an Environmental Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan.
- The Ebbsfleet Decarbonisation Plan and Ebbsfleet Sustainable Performance Framework are being created to help the city reach net-zero carbon by the time it's complete.
- Ebbsfleet also took part in The Queen's Green Canopy initiative during the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, encouraging more green spaces.
Economic Benefits
The development of Ebbsfleet Garden City is expected to have a big positive impact on the economy, both locally and across the country. Here are some key points:
- Almost 200,000 jobs are expected to be supported nationwide in schools, shops, and offices because of the money invested in Ebbsfleet Garden City.
- By 2035, Ebbsfleet is planned to have 15,000 new homes and create 32,000 new jobs for its residents.
- An estimated £6 billion is expected to be invested in Ebbsfleet through the development program. This money aims to bring significant benefits to communities throughout the region.
