04 - 11 - 2024
Phase 3A of BPTW’s landmark sustainable new riverfront masterplan in Ebbsfleet Garden City has received unanimous approval at committee.
Ebbsfleet Harbour Village will create 567 new homes in a strongly defined neighbourhood in Kent. Designed for Bellway, the context-based masterplan design narrative shapes the scheme with inspiration being drawn from the site’s former industrial past, delivering Ebbsfleet Development Corporation’s Garden City Vision and creating a residential-led, desirable, and climate-resilient development, connecting existing residential areas to the River Thames.
Phase 3A is the most prominent phase of the scheme, delivering 273 homes with river views, a new riverside promenade, residents’ gym, business lounge, concierge and a community centre, making Harbour Village a local destination.
The existing site is characterised by its location on the south bank of the Thames Estuary, where remains of its industrial past sit alongside chalk cliffs, escarpments and large areas of vegetation containing a wealth of wildlife habitats. BPTW devised a series of architectural character areas to inform the masterplan’s design and create a cohesive network of streets and landscaped open spaces that support wildlife habitats and biodiversity, as well as enhance connectivity through a network of pedestrian and cycle routes to re-establish connections between the riverside and the wider area. Harbour Village also delivers improved public transport links, including the proposed Fastrack bus route that links Ebbsfleet Garden City to Ebbsfleet International.
The region’s industrial heritage inspired BPTW’s design proposals, which include pitched roofs with prominent gable ends and chimney details referencing the site’s historic kilns. Phase 3A follows the Government’s energy hierarchy: Be Lean; Be Clean; and Be Green, to achieve a reduction of CO2 emissions. This is achieved through a fabric-first approach and onsite energy generation at homes, such as PV panels, as well as providing Heat Pump cylinders, and EV charging points for every house.
To date, BPTW has secured reserved matters planning permissions for Phases 1 and 2, and Phase 3B is under consideration for planning permission. Harbour Village was nominated for the 2022 Housing Design Awards in recognition of the project’s design quality.
CGIs by Arqui9
