FREQUENTLY ASK QUESTIONS

To ensure EGCT remains an open and transparent organisation, it will be managed by a group of trustees, who must abide by the rules set out by the Charity Commission and Companies House. This will ensure all legal and financial obligations are adhered to.

To ensure the EGCT also meets the needs of the local community, the trustees will be monitored and advised by the Guardianship group.

For ease we have compiled some of the questions you may have, and explained some of the terminology you may hear, into one page.

A Garden city is a planned residential community, first devised by English town planner, Ebenezer Howard in 1898. In order to improve the quality of urban life, the concept of  providing the best aspects of the countryside (space, fresh air, access to nature)  and towns (jobs, transport and infrastructure) began. Garden Cities have a mixed range of housing types and provide strong community engagement. Arts and Culture are also seen as a key element in improving the wellbeing of Garden City residents.

The first Garden City, Letchworth, was realised in 1903 and lies 30 miles north of London in Hertfordshire. In 1920 the second Garden City was established nearby – Welwyn Garden City.

The government has since approved smaller scale Garden Cities,  referred to as a Garden Towns or a Garden Villages.

It is the first Garden City in 100 years. The Ebbsfleet Development Corporation describes it in this way

“Over time, it will grow into one of the South East’s leading places to live and work. At its heart will be Ebbsfleet Central. Set around the international railway station, Ebbsfleet Central will be a major commercial destination in its own right with next-generation workspaces, city-style apartments, culture and connections to parks, schools, lakes and health and wellbeing facilities”

After a number of years of independent development plans being approved,  In 2015, the proposal to have a consolidated plan to build 15,000 new homes in Ebbsfleet was announced. Ebbsfleet is an international transport hub sitting between Dartford and Gravesend. Only 17 minutes from Kings Cross and central London, it sits within the chalk quarries and industrial heritage of northern Kent and has been sponsored by the Government to become a Garden City.

Map of Ebsfleet showing plannd development

It is expected to be completed in 2035, and will provide around 32,000 jobs  and a network of 7 city parks and over 50 open green spaces. All associated community spaces, health, leisure, educational facilities and arts and culture, are being designed as part of the development of the Ebbsfleet Garden City.

The Ebbsfleet Garden City consists of the following areas

  • Eastern Quarry / Whitecliffe which encompasses the villages of Castle Hill, Western Cross / Ashmere and Alkerden
  • Ebbsfleet Green
  • Ebbsfleet Central (including Springhead Park)
  • Cable Wharf (Northfleet Riverside)
  • Swanscombe Peninsula (including Craylands Lane)

The plans have been developed together with Developers, Local Authorities, and Local People to create a shared vision for Ebbsfleet.  It covers transport, jobs, housing, open spaces, community facilities (health, education, sports & leisure), arts & culture,  etc…

You can find further information on the EDC website

The Ebbsfleet Development Corporation was created in 2015 to develop and build the Ebbsfleet Garden City which involves developing up to 15,000 new homes, 32,000 jobs, 7 parks, shopping areas, and the associated service utilities (electricity, water etc.), public infrastructure (roads, schools, transport etc.)

EDC are the planning authority (instead of the local planning authorities) processing all planning applications within the Ebbsfleet Garden City area, whether it is for a major development, or an individual house. This ensures any development within the Ebbsfleet Garden City will meet the vision for the Garden City.  The Vision

Plans for how this vision will be implemented are contained in EDC’s Implementation Framework. EDC Implementation Framework

Stewardship is the long term management of city parks, community buildings, and other facilities within the Garden City. It covers who will own the communal land, community buildings, how facilities will be managed, and paid for.

Without a stewardship strategy, each of the new developments would be funded entirely by the estate management fees, and each neighbourhood would be separate from the others, this does not work with the vision of a City wide community and facilities.

Garden City principles include having:

– Community ownership of land and long term stewardship of assets

– A cohesive sense of community, community involvement and a consistent approach across the Garden City

By creating The Ebbsfleet Garden City Trust to have the responsibility for the stewardship of the Garden City, in perpetuity, this ensures there is:

  • Secure generated income to provide sufficient revenue to meet the costs of managing the Garden City.
  • Maintenance and operation of the assets that are part of the Ebbsfleet Garden City e.g. parks, allotments, community facilities etc
  • meaningful engagement with the local communities so local residents, charities and businesses are part of the management of their own communities.

The Ebbsfleet Garden City Trust (EGCT) is the charitable organisation that has the responsibility of managing and maintaining the Garden City, in perpetuity. This ensures local residents and stakeholders (local businesses, community groups, local councillors) are in control of managing the Garden City.

The facilities, which are to be managed by the Trust, will not incur any fees from the residents, and similarly, residents will not pay a fee towards operational costs associated with running Ebbsfleet Garden City Trust.

This covers:

  • All green and blue spaces (parks, lakes, rivers etc)
  • All community buildings
  • Curating civic life – ensuring the Garden City meets the requirements of local residents and stakeholders – this is called placemaking
  • Sports and leisure facilities

To do this the EGCT will:

SPACE –  Own and/or manage parks, public open spaces and community facilities

CONNECT – Bring together all stakeholders to discuss, oversee, initiate and deliver the Stewardship Strategy

EMPOWER – Build community groups and activities,  including brokering opportunities for volunteering.

INFLUENCE – Enable stakeholder influence to meet local needs and fill gaps as Ebbsfleet grows and matures, and measure and report outcomes on progress.

ORGANISATION – Establish governance, staff and financial structures capable of operating and sustaining the Trust in the long term.

The management of the Trust is overseen by a group of voluntary trustees, most of whom are from the Ebbsfleet and the surrounding areas. You can find out more about the Trustees by visiting the Trustee page

Placemaking is about turning a space into a place, so that people enjoy using it. This means that we need to think about the needs and wishes of the people using the space.

This requires community participation. Local residents, arts and cultural groups, schools, local business, local authorities etc… working together to decide how spaces can be used, what events and activities could be provided, what facilities are wanted – to make it a vibrant and inviting place to be.

EDC are currently working within the community to do this, and the Trust will continue this, once EDC has completed their work.

To find out what is going on, visit the EDC website https://ebbsfleetgardencity.org.uk/your-community/

The Ebbsfleet Community Board works with the Ebbsfleet Development Corp. (EDC), they help to make a huge difference, by helping to deliver facilities, activities and events, identify what is done well, and what needs to be improved.

The Community Board is made up of residents who applied to the Board, alongside members of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, the Leader of Dartford Council as chairman, the Leader of Gravesham Council and two local ward councillor representatives, each representing local wards in Gravesham and Dartford. The majority of current members are local residents, who act as a voice and sounding board for local residents.

  • Provide advice, support, ideas and insight to community events and activities
  • Work with local networks and partnerships to support neighbourhoods across Ebbsfleet,
  • Act as a link between Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, the Community Board, and the growing community
  • Provide advice and guidance as to the facilities, events and initiatives brought forward in the local community
  • Play a vital role in shaping the future of Ebbsfleet

Further information is contained on the EDC website EDC Community Board

The Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC) is the planning authority for all of the Ebbsfleet area. They assess all applications from major developments (to ensure the Master Plan for the Garden City is realised) to individual householders with any changes they wish to make to their property. For further information on how this process works, or to see what planning applications have been submitted, you can visit the EDC website:

EDC Planning

For information about the EDC Planning Committee, including agendas and minutes, you can use this link. EDC Planning Committee

Jobs are one of the key focuses for the development of the Ebbsfleet Garden City, with up to 32,000 jobs being provided in the local area,

There are many opportunities to work in the Garden City through the developers, contractors and suppliers. This link takes you to the EDC page on employment and apprenticeships  https://ebbsfleetgardencity.org.uk/employment-apprenticeship-opportunities/

Commercial centres are being developed to create hubs of activity; a large commercial centre at Ebbsfleet Central, and a number of small local centres, will ensure existing and new communities are well served by jobs and services. Ebbsfleet Central will be a centre of excellence for medical science, education and learning, attracting leading universities, primary health care providers, innovation space, health and other life-sciences .

With the development of 7 major parks, some with recreational facilities, Ebbsfleet will be established as a premier destination for recreation and leisure in Kent, again leading to an increase in employment opportunities in the local area.

The Garden City transport strategy aims to reduce the need to travel by car, contributing to minimising  congestion on the local road network, and improving residents health and well-being.  Ebbsfleet will build upon its existing road and rail links, to provide a high quality network of streets, public transport systems and walking and cycling links. To achieve this, the following projects have been agreed:

  • An improved interchange at Ebbsfleet Station will provide better connections between the upgraded Fastrack and local bus services, walking and cycling routes.
  • Fastrack’s speed, frequency and reliability will be radically upgraded through the building-out of missing sections of segregated track. The aim is to have 90% of residents living within 5 minutes walk of a Fast Track bus stop. There will also be a dedicated lane to connect Ebbsfleet International directly to Bluewater.
  • Road junction upgrades – A number of significant improvements to the road network have been identified through the existing planning permissions within the area, including the A2 Bean and Ebbsfleet junction.
  • There is now an on demand bus service, being run by Arriva, and funded by Redrow and Henley Camland, to aid with transport on a temporary basis, during development. It offers pick up and drop off locations at the choice of the passenger, when it is required – there is not a fixed route or timetable. And prices are very competitive. For further information on how to use this service use this link – ArrivaClick Ebbsfleet
  • Priority will be given to the early delivery, integrated design and sustainable maintenance of Ebbsfleet’s walking and cycling networks to ensure they provide door to door connectivity. The construction of an 87 meter long bridge at Springhead Park, allows the local residents to walk to Ebbsfleet station in a few minutes, rather than a 20 minute car journey.

For further information on the travel and transport plans, you can visit the EDC page https://ebbsfleetgardencity.org.uk/travel-transport/

In order to exploit the best of Ebbsfleet’s natural assets and encourage an active lifestyle, more than 50 new parks and open spaces are planned for Ebbsfleet. Current planning permissions within Ebbsfleet include a wide range of parks and open spaces that will cover over 43% of the city area. Each park will be designed to support the needs of local residents,

There will be a number of different types of green spaces, some with waterways:

  • Major Parks – there will be 7 in the Garden City: Ebbsfleet Central Park, Ebbsfleet River Park, Blue Lake Park, Ebbsfleet Quarry Lakes, Northfleet Riverside Park, Craylands Gorge, Swanscombe Peninsula Park – Here is a link to more detailed information about these parks City Parks
  • Local Parks – Each of the 9 villages within Ebbsfleet will have a local park, which will include places to grow things, as well as places to play.
  • Neighbourhood Parks – provide outdoor space within 5 minutes walk of most homes
  • Pocket Parks – Small green spaces, accessible to the public,  within neighbourhoods or streets. They provide communities with greenery, a place to sit and rest, and an ecological foothold for urban wildlife. They are generally less than an acre in size.
  • Meanwhile Parks – Until the long term use of a space is developed, it can be temporarily used to provide a small green space, used by the community.

Civic Community is one of the key objectives for the development of Ebbsfleet. This means optimising the quality of life for local people with facilities that provide community, educational, recreational, cultural and retail uses.

Currently there are 2 main community facilities available, with additional plans awaiting approval or construction.

  • Castle Hill has a community centre available for various uses, in Ebbsfleet Quarry – Castle HIll Community Centre
  • Eastgate is a church and community centre, available for various uses Eastgate

And currently plans are being worked on for a further 4 community buildings

  • Ebbsfleet Green Neighbourhood House (community building)
  • Ebbsfleet Green Community Hub (sports and leisure facility)#
  • Alkerden Hub (Health, education and Community Hub)
  • Castle Hill arts and cultural Hub

For further information on these facilities visit our Community Assets pages

You can also subscribe to the EDC newsletter to be kept up to date with what additional things are happening across the Garden City. https://ebbsfleetgardencity.org.uk/subscribe/

In Ebbsfleet Garden City there plans to provide more schools and educational facilities as the Garden City grows.  For up to date information on what is available, and what will be built use this link – Ebbsfleet Schools

EDC and the Trust are working closely with the NHS and other local and regional health bodies to ensure that the current and future population has appropriate access to healthcare. This includes the building of a Health and Wellbeing Hub in Ebbsfleet Central. Use this link to see more information on what is being done in the Garden City to support Health and Wellbeing.  Ebbsfleet Health Facilities

Throughout the planning and development of Ebbsfleet there have been, and will continue to be, public consultations, allowing local residents to provide feedback on proposals. This link takes you to the Ebbsfleet Development Corp website, where information about public consultations are posted:  Public Consultations

Throughout the planning and development of Ebbsfleet there have been, and will continue to be, public consultations, allowing local residents to provide feedback on proposals. This link takes you to the Ebbsfleet Development Corp website, where information about public consultations are posted: Public Consultations

Local residents can contact the Community Board, in order to provide input

The Trust does not have any rooms for hire, we are expecting to have them available by mid 2025. However there are a number of facilities within the Garden City that provide room hire, including Eastgate and Castle Hill Community Centre.