Urban Community Development creates value through the transformation of under-used
land into thriving places and communities. Our work is both supporting and benefi
ting from London’s long-term economic and population growth.
Kent Thameside
Our regeneration programme at Ebbsfleet Valley in Kent is a 20-25 year project that will transform 420 hectares of land into a vibrant mix of residential, business, retail, leisure and public space. We are working at two main development sites – Eastern Quarry and Ebbsfleet – within which are 10 ‘villages’ or development areas. This year we achieved excellent progress on planning permission and made a good start on development and marketing. Highlights included:
- Planning
We gained planning permission for Eastern Quarry, enabling us to focus on developing the 870,000m2 project. We have since gained approval for our site-wide and area masterplans together with 18 other submissions for infrastructure and landscaping. We have also completed the masterplan for the central core of Ebbsfleet, comprising some 506,000m2, with a team from Arup Urban Design. We have submitted these plans to Dartford and Gravesham Borough Councils.
- Construction, marketing and sales
We started construction of phase one at Springhead Park with our partner, Countryside Properties. The marketing suite and first show homes were launched in March 2008 and more than 50% of the first phase was reserved within two weeks. First occupations will take place in September 2008. The final development will provide more than 600 homes together with a church and community centre, health centre and sports centre. We continue to achieve good sales at Waterstone Park, a further joint development with Countryside Properties next to Bluewater.
- Transport connections
In November 2007 Eurostar launched its services from Ebbsfl eet International station to Paris, Brussels and Lille, with Paris just over two hours away. High-speed domestic services to London will be launched in late 2009 with a journey time of just 17 minutes to St Pancras International. Fastrack, the award winning Bus Rapid Transit network serving Kent Thameside, has fl ourished, carrying significantly more passengers than expected.
- Culture
In conjunction with London and Continental Railways and Eurostar, we launched the Ebbsfleet Landmark, a £2m project to create a major public artwork to help put Ebbsfleet Valley on the map. Artists Daniel Buren, Richard Deacon, Christopher Le Brun, Mark Wallinger and Rachel Whiteread have submitted models of their ideas and the final selection will be made in late summer.
Harrow and Wealdstone
In January 2008 we formed a partnership with Kodak Ltd to find new uses for 24 hectares of redundant land around its production plant in Harrow and Wealdstone. Our approach will enable Kodak to continue production while devising ways to maximise the land’s future potential.
Milton Keynes
Working with joint venture partner Gazeley Limited, we completed the development of a 60,400m2 distribution centre. This was pre-let to John Lewis and we have now sold the asset, generating a profit of £8.1m.
Harlow
In April 2008 we formed a 50:50 joint venture with Places for People and set out our plan to acquire more than 970 hectares of land to the north of Harlow, to help meet much-needed housing and employment in the area. The purchase is subject to the site’s inclusion in the final East of England Plan.
Our outlook
Ebbsfleet Valley is making the vital step from planning to implementation successfully, and we expect to make substantial further progress on construction of infrastructure, landscaping and buildings, residential sales and community facilities over the next year, particularly at Springhead Park. Meanwhile, we are seeking out new opportunities to help the UK meet growing demand for housing and mixed-use space.
