Introducing Ebbsfleet Garden City

Introducing Ebbsfleet Garden City

Help! We need more houses!

Like many cities, the population of London is growing, with the population predicted to reach 9.39 million by the year 2022 and 10 millon by 2030. There are plans to improve the transport system and many areas (such as Kidbrooke and Elephant and Castle) have been redeveloped, but still, more houses will need to be built in order to provide homes for everyone.

New housing developments often lead to conflict. Many people believe that new houses should be built on brownfield land wherever possible, but the government feels that some of London’s new housing will need to be built on the edges of London on greenfield sites.

One of these new housing developments is Ebbsfleet Garden City, announced by the government in March 2014. This will be a brand new urban area in Kent, with 15, 000 homes.

What’s a Garden City?

The idea of Garden Cities was developed in the late 19^th century. It was suggested that building self-contained settlements surrounded by greenbelts (fields and woodland) would be better than the development of more and more suburban sprawl.

Garden cities are meant to be sustainable; the buildings should be good quality and there should be green space. Also, there should be jobs and services in the garden city, and not just houses.

Why Ebbsfleet?

Ebbsfleet is near to London, where much of the demand for new housing is. It is close to a high-speed rail line that would mean people living in the new garden city could get to London in less than 20 minutes. It is also close to Ebbsfleet international station, which provides a good connection with France, which should be attractive to businesses that want to trade with and work in mainland Europe. Also, there is a large disused quarry, which is ideal for redeveloping, and Paramount have plans to build a theme park here, which would provide 27,000 jobs.

What will Ebbsfleet Garden City be like?

Although the name suggests one big development, the truth is that Ebbsfleet Garden City (EGC) will be built in stages. The first part of the development is called Castle Hill, and has only 150 homes. It is being built to feel like a ‘Kentish village’, with ‘homes surrounding a neighbourhood garden with grassy areas for children to play, with trees, pathways and public meeting places.’

Artist's impression of the Ebbsfleet development. Source: planningresource.co.uk

What is sustainable development?

Sustainable development is defined as 'meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs', and can be imagined as a venn diagram, covering 3 main aspects; social, environmental and economic (see the image below). These are sometimes called the 'pillars' of sustainable development. Where all these pillars are being met, we get sustainability. So, for example, for the needs of people and the environment to be met, development must be bearable for both. For the needs of society to be met as well as the economy, things must be fair (equitable). 

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Sustainable developments must aim to provide residents with a good quality of life, maintain or improve the quality of the environment and ensure an economy where people have access to good jobs, earning a good wage, and where money is well invested.

Ways that this might be done include:

• Using efficient and renewable sources of energy, like solar and wind power, biofuels etc.
• Building energy efficient homes and offices, which are well insulated and well lit, to reduce energy use.
• Building homes from materials that do as little harm to the environment as possible.
• Ensuring there are green spaces that benefit wildlife and improve people's quality of life.
• Making it easy for people to walk and cycle - for example with cycle paths and pedestrian areas  - this benefits the environment and helps improve quality of life.
• Developing work spaces close to home. This reduces commuting (travel to work and back) which reduces emissions from vehicles, and gives people more leisure time, as they spend less time travelling.
• Providing services such as schools, healthcare and shops that people can get to quickly and easily, ideally without driving.
• Ensuring that water is used efficiently, for example collecting rainwater and 'grey' water (water from washing up and bathing) for use in toilets/for watering the garden.
• Reducing the risk of flooding by having green areas or semi-permeable surfaces that allow water to soak way.
• Building homes that encourage people to get to know each other, creating a sense of community - homes built around communal areas can do this.
• Making sure that local people feel involved in the decisions that are made about the area, and preserving local heritage and customs.

These are not the only ways of creating sustainable developments, but they are a good start!

Will EGC be sustainable?

Developers are being encouraged to build sustainably by the government, and the developers of Castle Hill, and the other parts of EGC that are planned mention sustainability in their plans. 

The Castle Hill website describes:

'...the chance to create a place that can give some 'quality time' back to those who choose to live here...[b]y creating a place where all of the things one needs for a pleasant, functioning day-to-day life are in close proximity. This means less time in your car (healthier for all) and more time doing what you want.'

'...recycling where possible...whatever waste the building process creates; office buildings designed to minimise energy consumption; the recycling of water and the reduced need for cars...developing guidelines and standards for our contractors to source construction material in a sustainable manner.' 

'The 150 new homes...will be three and four bedroom family homes. The development includes a range of shops, bars and restaurants and park and leisure facilities.'

The Ebbsfleet Garden City mentions: 

Fasttrack buses 'to promote public transport and reduce the amount of road congestion.' 

'Each area of housing will have its own primary school in a central location that is within walking distance of all houses...Easy access will be provided so that all school children can safely walk to school; parents will not need to drive their children to school.'

'...the Ebbsfleet Education Campus [with] a secondary school and a primary school, both of which will sit in extensive grounds with five football pitch sized playing fields.

The whole campus will be surrounded by trees with a neighbourhood green area on each side.'

Are there any concerns?

Well, you might not know it from some of the press releases, but there is already a town in this area, called Swanscombe. Some of the people who live in Swanscombe have complained that they feel that they have not been consulted. They worry that the name 'Ebbsfleet' have be chosen to erase the historical identity of the place, and that the development will leave Swanscombe poorer, as all the focus will be on the new garden city.


The Campaign to Protect Rural England (a pressure group) argues that it would be better to build on brownfield land (derelict land that has been built on befire, often in cities), rather than develop new garden cities on the greenbelt. This is not as obvious as it might seem, as brownfield site can sometimes be more biodiverse than greenfield ones.

So, do developments like this make Ebbsfleet Garden City a sustainable development? After looking at the plans and reading what the developers and journalists and campaigners have to say, what do you think?