Ebbsfleet Garden City

Ebbsfleet is a government-sponsored new ‘Garden city’, the first in the UK for over 100 years, located in the South East of England on primarily brownfield land. The Ebbsfleet Garden City was also selected as one of ten National Health Service (NHS) England Healthy New Towns demonstration sites, leading to the adoption of a ‘Garden Grid’ design strategy that aims to transform the previously industrial landscape into a healthy environment. The Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC) was established in 2015 by UK Central Government to lead delivery, receiving £200 million for infrastructure funding.(1)

This project is featured as one of our healthy urban development case studies.

Location	Kent, UK
Project type:	Mixed use
Project size:	Residential: 10,694 dwellings. Employment: 621,000 sqm. Retail, Hotel and Leisure Uses: 215,609 sqm. Community space: 74,258 sqm.
Goals:	The delivery themes by 2035 are: Quality Homes and Neighbourhoods; Enterprising Economy; Connected People and Places; Healthy Environments; A Civic Community; Resilient & Sustainable Systems.
Date started:	2002 (planning permission)
Date completed:	Estimated 2035
Stakeholders:	Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC), Dartford and Gravesham Borough Councils, Kent County Council, Secretary of State for Housing, Landowners (most of the land is private).
Website:	https://ebbsfleetdc.org.uk/

Health and wellbeing

Aspiring to be a 21^st century interpretation of garden city principles, Ebbsfleet aims to achieve high-quality housing, well-integrated social and economic infrastructure, high-quality green space and a coherent identity considering existing and future communities. Ebenezer Howard’s garden city concept originated in 1898 and was first applied at Letchworth Garden City and later reinterpreted in the UK’s 32 New Towns.(2) Garden cities were originally described as merging the best elements of the city and countryside: ‘…good employment prospects, relative wealth for its inhabitants and good communications… [in a] healthy parkland setting.’(1) The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) has published a set of nine ‘indivisible and interlocking’ principles for delivering modern garden cities which are all related to health and wellbeing, such as ‘development that enhances the natural environment’ and ‘integrated and accessible transport systems.’(3)

A summary of health-related design and planning strategies adopted at Ebbsfleet is shown in the tables below and aligned to the THRIVES framework (4), using information from the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation.(5)

Planetary health	Aims to ‘identify innovative approaches and new and emerging technology to reduce carbon and to improve the efficiency of urban systems.   Aims to ‘celebrate Ebbsfleet’s cliffs, lakes, waterways, industrial heritage and archaeological assets to create a unique environment which enhances ecological and biodiversity value and creates a stimulating environment which supports positive mental health.’
Ecosystem health	Ebbsfleet is located along nine miles of the Thames River which was, prior to redevelopment, an area of heavy industrial use. Much of the site is reclaimed brownfield and the intention of the EDC is to open up landscape and public space along the river to enhance biodiversity, and to encourage connections with the green and blue areas of the site. The plan calls for re-establishing Ebbsfleet’s hidden river alongside water sensitive urban design, integrated storm water management, green corridors, and community planting.   A ‘Garden Grid’ strategy aims to enhance the sustainability and resilience of Ebbsfleet through a green infrastructure network, improving air quality and water management.   5 new parks and 2 linear parks are planned. Smaller local parks and food growing spaces are encouraged.   Public transport investment (e.g. new bus rapid transit called FastTrack) and clustering of services and facilities aims to promote active travel.
Local health	Relevant strategies include increased community connectivity, maintaining existing local town centres, providing active transport and recreation facilities, and providing cultural, sports and recreation, educational and community facilities. The masterplan outlines efficient neighbourhood layout to increase public space.   EDC worked with a local supplier to create the Get Active free app for residents to encourage physical activity. Users are rewarded with BetterPoints that can be redeemed for free gifts or food from local shops and restaurants.(6)   Landscaping includes edible plants and disused spaces have been used for food growing as part of the community-run Edible Ebbsfleet programme.(6)   There are plans for a health hub that would allocate 70% of space to wellbeing services and 30% to health services, recognising the importance of prevention.(7)

Inclusion	Process: Stakeholder engagement activities have taken place through multiple modes, including workshops, public drop-in sessions, postcards and online surveys. The Ebbsfleet Implementation Framework describes a summary of community responses and resulting actions. Key concerns related to increased traffic, lack of integration with existing communities, demand on healthcare services, affordability and quality standard of housing and access to education and jobs.   Design: A wide range of housing types is intended to address housing affordability and to accommodate all life stages.
Equity	There is a target for 30% affordable housing.
Sustainability	Ebbsfleet aims to embody the principles of sustainability, that is to be a green place that embraces nature conservation. The use of renewable energy resources is encouraged. Shops, schools, and recreation facilities, etc. are planned to be accessed locally to reduce travel times and impacts, and new homes are designed to meet energy efficiency standards above statutory minimums.(8)

Achievements

This development is ongoing, however there have been some achievements to date (reported from the EDC website in June 2022):

• Housing Delivery: 2,076 new homes completed (2,980 as of March 2022)
• Quality of Homes: 100% of homes (approved after 2018) meet the Building for Life 12 ‘green light’ assessment.
• New footpaths and cycleways created: 7.55 km (target achieved).
• Commercial & Employment floor space: 31,765 m² of new commercial and employment floor space completed, exceeding the target.
• Public transport connections: 100% of homes are within a 10-minute walk of a bus route.
• Parks, open spaces, and recreation areas: 12.6 hectares completed (target achieved).

Evaluation of the Get Active app, launched in March 2018 in Ebbsfleet, has shown promising results, as reported by NHS England: ‘in the first three months users walked, ran or cycled a collective total of 16,168 miles and burned 1,483,986 calories. 40% of people who were inactive achieved NHS recommended levels of activity for three weeks or more. Three months after it launched, 66% of the people who had downloaded the app were actively using it, double the industry standard for health and lifestyle apps. Six months after the launch more than 700 people had registered.’(6)

Areas for improvement include:

• Affordable Homes: 27.2% of homes completed were ‘affordable’ (according to the National Planning Policy Framework). The target is 30%. 
• Diversification of Housing: The target has not been achieved yet. (120 specialist homes and 50 self-build/custom build homes).
• Social and community infrastructure: approximately £13m invested, falling short of the target.

Lessons learned

Ebbsfleet is a long-term project that has been in the planning system for over 20 years and it is ongoing. One evaluation related more to process and governance than outcomes identified early challenges with the relationship between the national Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the arms-length delivery body, Ebbsfleet Development Corporation. Personnel changes and skills gaps (related to commercial development and design) in the early years undermined confidence in the EDC, particularly their tendency to commit to unrealistic timescales. Other issues related to EDC’s lack of revenue prohibiting expenditure on required feasibility studies and delays appointing senior personnel.(9)

Criticisms about new government-backed garden city projects, including Ebbsfleet, have raised issues with urban sprawl, car dependency, lack of adequate infrastructure and other concerns.(1)

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More information

1. Pratt, A., Smith, L., 2017. Garden cities, towns and villages (Briefing Paper Number 06867). House of Commons Library, London, UK.
2. Town and Country Planning Association. Garden Cities and New Towns.
3. Town and Country Planning Association. Garden City Principles.
4. Pineo, H., 2020. Towards healthy urbanism: inclusive, equitable and sustainable (THRIVES) – an urban design and planning framework from theory to praxis. Cities Health 0, 1–19.
5. Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, 2017. Ebbsfleet Implementation Framework.
6. NHS England, 2019. Putting Health into Place: Design, deliver and manage.
7. NHS England, 2019. Putting Health into Place: Develop and Provide Healthcare Services.
8. Ebbsfleet Garden City. 2020. Carbon-reducing housing scheme given approval in Ebbsfleet Garden City.
9. MHCLG, 2018. Tailored Review of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation: Review report. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, London, UK.