Ebbsfleet Valley
Character area applies to...
Ebbsfleet Central
Ebbsfleet Green
Northfleet Embankment areas south of chalk spine.
Garden of england
Ebbsfleet Valley is a part of the Northern Kent Plains national character area and was formerly had orchards, soft fruit and arable. An innovative form of agriculture within the Ebbsfleet Valley was the watercress beds located along the Ebbsfleet River in the early 1900s. This heritage provides a starting point for developing the Garden of England theme.
Industrial Heritage
The industrial heritage of the chalk quarrying is readily visible in the Ebbsfleet Valley through the exposed chalk cliffs surrounding Blue Lake and the chalk spines along the southern edge of Northfleet. This heritage forms the inspiration for the use of white, chalky concrete within this character area.
Chalk Cliffs
Blue Lake is surrounded by chalk cliffs that create a striking feature, and can be seen from the former landfill site, Ebbsfleet Green, and Thames Way. Chalk cliffs along the southern edge of Northfleet are also notable. Collectively, the chalk cliffs provide a valuable asset that should be developed into a focal point for the public realm in Ebbsfleet Valley.
Water
Ebbsfleet Valley has been shaped over time by the Ebbsfleet River. The Ebbsfleet River should be enhanced and further revealed through the design of the public realm and aided by new sustainable urban drainage systems. Additionally, Blue Lake forms a distinctive landscape feature that combines the chalk cliffs of the quarry landscapes and a large body of open water.
Design Guidance
The shaping of views and the enhancement of the existing chalk cliffs and water bodies within the public realm to strengthen the local sense of place (see chapter 3)
Hidden water bodies such as the Ebbsfleet River and Northfleet Harbour should be revealed and opened up to become an integral part of the public realm (see chapter 3).
The integration of sustainable urban drainage systems to help mitigate the effect of new development on the Ebbsfleet River and Blue Lake (see chapter 3).
The use of quarried chalks, chalky white concrete or local by-products such as flint within the material palette of the public realm (see chapter 5)
The integration of multi-functional productive landscapes into neighbourhood parks and city parks in line with Kent’s role as the Garden of England (see chapter 6).
The planting of orchards or the visual reference to orchards through the planting of ornamental flowering trees in hard paved areas & streets (see chapter 6)
The use of the agricultural pattern of predominantly rectangular shape and associated rhythm.