Sustainable living in action at Ebbsfleet
I had the pleasure of participating in a walking tour of Ebbsfleet Garden City recently, organised by The Cambridge University Land Society and led by the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation Chairman (David Prout) and the Director of Planning and Place (Mark Pullin), with an introduction from Chief Executive Officer, Sara Waller.
It was a blast from the past for me as the tour started out at The Observatory, which was formerly a Barton Willmore office and one I used to attend fairly regularly for meetings. I bumped into an ex-colleague, Dom Scott and from the roof, it really was incredible to see the progress at Eastern Quarry. The last time I visited was over 7 years ago and so many more houses, transport links and open spaces have been delivered since. Barton Willmore worked on the masterplan back in 2006 and Dom made some remarks about how the placemaking vision 20 years ago has come to fruition, with many of the features of healthy, sustainable living in place and being enjoyed by residents. Of particular note and visible from the roof of The Observatory were the networks of lakes and SuDs combining water attenuation, climate change adaptation, recreation opportunities, ecological and wellbeing benefits and the fast track bus route. Whilst already in operation between the completed neighbourhoods, the fast track bus network will eventually connect all areas of the site to Bluewater shopping centre and Ebbsfleet International Station providing convenient car free access to shops, amenities and rail travel elsewhere.
Whilst bus patronage is high, Mark acknowledged that there is work to be done on the bus network, which is currently a little piecemeal. I do think that’s par for the course with any large phased development though. Even with the best intentions to get the infrastructure in early, it can never been in place in full until other parts of the jigsaw fall into place, not least the patrons. I liked the recent work done on the bus stop design, including green rooves and live transport information. The inclusion of rain gardens and benches for rest along the pedestrian/cycle/fast track bus route is a fantastic example of design with co-benefits in mind.
Setting off from the Observatory on our very own bus, we drove around the Eastern Quarry and stopped off to visit key areas. It was interesting to spot the evolution of design from the earliest phases like Taylor Wimpey’s homes at Castle Hill abutting the Whitecliffe Lakes, (which has a fantastic play area that I was tempted to have a go on!), through Vistry’s land parcels to Redrow’s development in the Alkerden neighbourhood. The different phases of development told a story as design, technology and best practice has evolved. Key differences were the inclusion of PVs on rooves, biodiverse front gardens, EV charging points and cooling and shading features on facades and balconies in the later phases. The mix of accommodation also provided a great example of how different styles and tenures can work well together. There is an intentional mismatch of colours and materials but somehow, when interspersed with some fantastic green spaces, (being enjoyed by youngsters after school when we were there), it works. Platinum Jubilee Park now hosts a 200-person strong Parkrun community every Saturday and also comes alive with farmers’ markets and regular pop up events. The award-winning Ashmere neighbourhood (Countryside/Vistry) is an example of external accolades as it won the B4HL Housing Design Awards 2025. Alkerden is shaping up to be a fantastic place to live as the new secondary school academy is in construction, with the open land in front of it set aside for a supermarket, shops and restaurants, all a stone’s throw from the houses.
Mark gave us an insight into what it’s like to live there. Apparently, residents are very entrepreneurial with a high incidence of “side hustles”. The community also scores highly on the “happiness index”. I love this metric! That means that people living in the community generally get along well with one another. It’s also a young community, which, as well as giving vibrancy, has some challenges, particularly when considering stewardship arrangements. Working families are busy with jobs and children so have less time for volunteering. Plans are afoot however, to include some later living provision, which should help to redress the community imbalance. Eventually, the management companies who are responsible for looking after the public areas, will be taken over by an Ebbsfleet Garden City Trust, with long-term stewardship locked in and centralised. Given the happy and entrepreneurial spirit in the community, here’s hoping that there are keen residents to take on some of this responsibility!
The tour gave an honest account of what it’s really like to deliver a garden city. It’s not all peaches and roses but with making sustainable living an easier choice, I think it’s well on the road (or fast track bus network!) to success.