Characterful places

How does the design celebrate Ebbsfleet’s history, landscapes and cultural heritage to create a local sense of place?

Ebbsfleet sits within a distinctive landscape of cliffs and gorges, lakes and rivers, and an area rich in history. All of these references can be used to create richly characterful streets and public spaces, which have a unique sense of place that can inspire civic pride, a common identity and a sense of ownership.

Recommendations:

1. Preserve the existing landscape features

Ebbsfleet includes remarkable chalk cliffs, undulating hills, natural gorges, woodland, marshes, and a variety of water bodies. The design of the public realm should preserve these distinguishing features and use them to establish a distinctive sense of place.

2. Enhance the presence of chalk and water

Ebbsfleet’s chalk cliffs and water bodies are landscape features that provide an immediate sense of place derived from the local history. These distinctive features should be integrated and enhanced through the design of the public realm.

3. Protect and enhance prominent views

The open views of the Thames Riverside and the hilltops of the Ebbsfleet River Valley should be protected and enhanced. Additionally, the enclosed views of quarry landscapes should be identified and key view corridors within the quarries should be enhanced to strengthen their sense of place.

4. Celebrate Ebbsfleet’s history & cultural heritage

Ebbsfleet has a rich history that includes archaeological artefacts, pleasure gardens, and industrial heritage. Additionally, Kent has a unique cultural heritage that includes vernacular architecture, local landscape terminology, and it’s moniker as ‘The Garden of England.’ This unique site heritage should be utilised to enrich the design of the public realm, develop distinctive design narratives, and connect Ebbsfleet’s Garden City back to its deep roots .

5. Public Art

Public art should be prominently positioned within primary civic spaces, and designed to creatively interpret the site’s local history, culturally significant moments and contemporary culture.

6. Utilise local materials

The material and furniture palette for the public realm should reinforce Ebbsfleet Garden City’s sense of place by utilising the material palette established as part of the public realm strategy. This material and furniture palette was established through a landscape character assessment of the existing landscape and a review of the locally available materials.