district
focus 92
Gravesend’s riverside location will be the site for
its £100 million Heritage Quarter Development
district
focus
93
This is a bus-based transport
system which runs on a dedicated
road, guaranteeing rapid journey
times and delay-free travel.
Combined with the widening of
the A2 to four lanes (expected to
be completed 2008), and proximity
to the M25 and M20, Gravesham
will offer a comprehensive local,
national and international
transport network.
Cultural blend
As a port town Gravesend has
always offered visitors a warm
welcome, and this philosophy has
meant that over the years it has
become notably cosmopolitan,
closer in profile to a major city
than other Kentish neighbours.
With a Sikh population of around
10 per cent, as well as Muslim and
Buddhist cultures, Gravesham’s
streets offer a varied blend of
shops, restaurants and events.
This cultural richness is embodied
in the construction of the new Sikh
temple (Gurdwara), based in design
on the Golden Temple of Amritsar.
The Riverside
Gravesend is rediscovering its
riverside heritage. Its unique
position is enhanced by having the
town centre actually on the Thames.
And £100 million plans for what is
called the Heritage Quarter will see
the town turn once again towards
the river that has provided its
lifeblood through the centuries. ≥
Stretching from Gravesend on the
banks of the Thames to the greenbelt
of Meopham and Vigo, the area
offers a unique blend of modernity
and rural splendour.
As a key shipping port through the
centuries, Gravesham developed
numerous heavy industry sites
on the shores of the river.
Regeneration
With much of that industry now
gone, these sites, centred in
the north west of the borough
in Northfleet, Ebbsfleet and
Springhead, are being used for
economic and community-led
regeneration, providing new homes
and communities for residents
and those wishing to move to Kent.
Around 10,000 additional homes
are planned for the area over the
next 20 years, complementing the
extensive redevelopment of the town
centre and built with the borough’s
rural areas in mind.
Improved transport links
Key to this bright future is the new
140 mph Channel Tunnel rail link
at Ebbsfleet, which will make Kings
Cross St Pancras mainline station
accessible in just 17 minutes, and
Paris and Brussels in just over
two hours.
The improving links to London
and Europe are underpinned locally
by the Fastrack transport system
joining Dartford, Bluewater
and Gravesham.
Gravesham is bracing itself for boom time as the extraordinary
regeneration of the historic borough accelerates.
Gravesham Borough Council
Gravesend is
rediscovering its
riverside heritage.
Princess Pocahontas is buried
in St. George’s Church, Gravesend
district
focus
for the Kent Thameside part of the
Thames Gateway project.
The Cobham Ashenbank
Management Scheme (CAMS),
a partnership led by Gravesham
Borough Council and supported by
the country’s leading conservation
organisations, is carrying out
extensive work within the grounds
of the historic Cobham Park.
The park contains woods of special
scientific interest, gardens laid
out by Humphrey Repton in the
18th century and the Darnley
Mausoleum, a building of
international architectural renown.
Gravesham living
Though house prices are currently
relatively low in the borough, rising
by 2.2 per cent in the 12 months
until May 2006, estate agents
anticipate a dramatic acceleration
now that Ebbsfleet is open.
There is a broad range of properties
in Gravesham, from the modern
and traditional townhouses and
flats in the town centre to the rural
accommodation in the south and
east of the borough.
Contact:
Tel: 01474 33 70 00
www.gravesham.gov.uk
The riverside area is being
rejuvenated, with the restoration
of both the cobbled high street and
the landmark town pier – the oldest
cast iron pier in the world which
is now home to a restaurant and
bar with a public viewing area
commanding magnificent views.
Both of these projects have
attracted new trade and investment
to this area of the town, while
retaining its character.
The quarter’s masterplan will offer
1,000 new jobs, a modern events
area and new public space, 90,000
sq ft of new shops and a new
hotel complex.
Regeneration is proceeding apace
too in the town’s transport quarter
where plans have been drawn
up offering potential for a
transport hub as well as retail
and residential accommodation.
Gravesham’s countryside
Gravesham is home to some of the
most beautiful countryside in the
south of England, and considerable
work is being undertaken to
conserve these areas and restore
other sites to their former glory. A
huge swathe of countryside is being
conserved in a series of schemes
which will offer a rural playground
Gordon Gardens
Gravesham’s town pier
94
≥ Gravesham Borough Council continued...