Plans approved for multi-use park at Bellway London’s Harbour Village in Northfleet

Bellway London has been given the go-ahead to create a 2.57 hectare multi-use park on its Harbour Village development in Northfleet. The homebuilder is planning to deliver more than 500 new homes on the site of College Road, which forms part of the wider Ebbsfleet Garden City scheme.

Ebbsfleet Development Corporation granted planning permission on Tuesday 19 September for Bellway London to create Bevan’s Park on land to the east of the development.

Bevan’s Park will feature a sports pitch, a wildlife corridor and a heritage park which will celebrate the industrial history of the site, a former chalk quarry developed by Portland Cement from the middle of the 19th Century and used as an aggregate works up until 2002. The park has been named after Thomas Bevan, one of the founding partners of the cement works in 1854

There will be a footbridge providing a link for residents between Bevan’s Park and Chimney View Park in the Harbour Village development.

Ed Brading, Bellway Thames Gateway acting head of sales, said: “Securing planning permission for Bevan’s Park is a significant milestone for the both the Harbour Village development and the wider Ebbsfleet Garden City scheme and we hope to start work on creating this exciting outdoor facility in early 2024.

“Bevan’s Park will be one of several open spaces at Harbour Village and will create an important, multi-functional area for both its residents and the wider community. The heritage park section will pay tribute to the historical industrial use of the land, with flint introduced into some of the pathways. Tunnel entrances in the chalk cliff face will be preserved and celebrated as the site is opened to the public.”

The new park will feature a sports pitch and a large pocket of open space with views across the River Thames. A walking route will run around the perimeter with seating, linking into a fitness trail to encourage residents to exercise.

An area in the south of Bevan’s Park will be a wildlife glade with much of the existing tree cover and vegetation retained. The area will remain fenced off from formal access and enhanced with additional native planting to the lower banks and an area of meadow in the centre.

Ed added: “Another key aspect of the design of this park is to try to protect a large swathe of existing habitat along the eastern boundary. This area has also been identified as a ‘dark corridor’ with minimal lighting to encourage wildlife. Bird and bat boxes will be installed and log piles, in quieter areas of the site, will provide valuable habitat for stag beetles and other insects.”

Harbour Village is part of the wider Ebbsfleet Garden City project, which is expected to create around 15,000 homes along with shops, commercial and office space, schools, parks and public open space.

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily