Thames 2 ebbsfleet garden city housing

Delivery of new homes has speeded up at Ebbsfleet garden city, according to the head of the body overseeing the project to build the first new garden city in a century.

Ian Piper, Chief Executive Officer of the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, told delegates at our Thames Estuary Development Conference that 600 dwellings have been completed in the last twelve months, up from 325 in the previous year.

The new town is on target for 525 new homes this year, more than 700 next year, and then 1,000 in 2020 and 2021 – with detailed planning permission having now been granted for 2,466 houses.
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Just over 1,400 dwellings have been built so far at Ebbsfleet where the garden city is being delivered in a redundant north Kent quarry. Despite the progress, the corporation is keen to not become complacent, Piper said: “The pace of delivery is increasing, but its less than 10% of overall permission so there is a long way to go.”

Ten developers are currently on site, including seven housebuilders, with a further two due to start in the next few months – and the first new primary school, two community centres, a pub and a hotel have all opened in Ebbsfleet already.

The corporation has however yet to deliver the central area while delays to the major resort planned on the nearby Swanscombe Peninsula pose “challenges” to the delivery of the garden city.

Jason Robinson, Managing Director of Development at Urban Catalyst, warned that the delivery of the Thames Estuary development requires deadlines in order to avoid continuing to be a “talkfest”.

A key figure in the planning and delivery of the 2012 games Olympic Park, he said: “If you look at the Olympics, we needed a deadline, something to aspire to and deliver to, whether numbers of homes or expenditure on infrastructure projects. Without a deadline we are at real risk of continuing a talk fest. Talk fests are great but no one in the room just wants to talk.”

He said a decision is anticipated “imminently” on Urban Catalyst’s outline planning application for the Purfleet town centre development, which the company is undertaking in a joint venture with Thurrock Council and housing association Swan.

The scheme, which incorporates 2,850 social and private homes, are designed to be integrated with commercial uses. The JV hope to start on site with the first 61 homes this year, and a six-form academy secondary school is due to open in September – followed by the opening of two-form entry primary school and a mini campus for London South Bank University in 2022.

In addition, 500 homes should be complete, Purfleet’s level crossing will be replaced with a bridge and there will be a new town centre for Purfleet, which will be connected to the riverfront by a high road that will form the “fulcrum” of the development.

Mark Quinn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quinn Estates, agreed with Robinson that more targets should be laid out for the estuary’s development: “We would like to see more goals and specific projects and timetables.”

Quinn expressed scepticism that modular housing will become financially sustainable if there is a fresh construction market downturn. Previous attempts to set up offsite housing manufacturing had struggled during recessions to compete with more flexible traditional builders who would cut prices to secure work.

The Government would need to prop up demand for modular homes by continuing to place orders with factories, he said: “It’s vital that the Government steps in and keeps those factories busy otherwise exactly the same thing that has happened before will happen again.”

In terms of the company’s own projects, Quinn said it has secured housing infrastructure funding for a new 6km relief road that will link his planned development near the Kent Science Park, which is currently served by a single-track road, to the A2. The company will be submitting an application for 11,500 homes and 20,000 sq m of commercial space.

Angela O’Donoghue, Chief Executive and Principal of South Essex College, told delegates that its Centre for Digital Technologies in Basildon town centre will open in 2020. Work has started on site at the centre, which the college is delivering in partnership with Homes England and Redrow, building new homes on the land that it is vacating.

The college has just submitted planning permission for The Forum II, which will focus on creative and cultural skills, performing arts and media when it opens in 2021.
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