Ebbsfleet Development Corporation’s planning committee has granted planning permission for Alkerden Gateway, a new custom build community at Ebbsfleet Garden City. The decision comes after the submission of a Reserved Matters planning application in March 2021, and a pre-application consultation process where local stakeholders helped shape the final proposals.
Westerhill Homes is developing the 67 homes, which include 17 affordable properties (25%), with Alkerden Gateway addressing the lack of supply of custom build homes in the market locally.
Award-winning architect BPTW designed the homes, and purchasers can be involved with the design in terms of layouts, materials and fixtures and fittings, as well as parking spaces. Sustainability and biodiversity options include solar PV panels, tree planting and bird or bat boxes. Construction is expected to get started before the end of summer.
Alkerden brings the opportunity for local people to have input into the design of their homes to create a distinctive new neighbourhood, a welcome injection of innovation on the site which will, once completed, have 15,000 homes.
Alkerden Gateway is the first key development parcel in Alkerden Village, and is surrounded by parkland, an education campus and other residential developments.
Julian Moat, Planning Director at Westerhill Homes said: “As a Kent-based housebuilder, we are delighted to have secured planning permission from Ebbsfleet Development Corporation for the delivery of our exciting, bespoke custom build homes at Ebbsfleet Garden City.
“By working with an outstanding project team – including BPTW Architecture, LUC landscape design and Knapp Hicks engineers – we have developed an innovative six stage customisation process for all private market homes. This will allow individual purchasers to make a series of external and internal choices to their homes at the point of reservation, meaning the homes can be tailored to suit their design preferences and lifestyle choices.
“We anticipate a strong market demand for customisation in the new build market, and coupled with the strong pull of Garden City living, we fully expect these new homes to prove popular as we now commence on the marketing and delivery aspects of the site.”
Chris Bath, Partner, Architecture at BPTW, said: “Marking the only custom-build phase in the wider Whitecliffe masterplan, for us, Alkerden Gateway, presents an exciting opportunity to design an innovative community that both speaks of its setting, and embraces the full potential of a homeowner-led, organic variety across the scheme.
“Over the past few years, we’ve been proud to be involved in projects at Ebbsfleet Garden City and across the South East, and this development demonstrates our continued commitment to delivering high-quality new homes and transformative new places for the area. We’re delighted to see Alkerden approved at committee and look forward to seeing the next stages of the project come together.”
NaCSBA spokesperson Duncan Hayes said: “Garden communities represent a chance for innovation and placemaking, and as such NaCSBA would like to see custom and self build included in all garden towns and villages, as they have room for a diverse range of routes to housing. Alkerden Gateway is a welcome addition to the UK’s only new garden city, and we hope it sets a benchmark for what can be delivered on allocated sites.”
