Whitecliffe Masterplan

Ebbsfleet Garden City is a rare commodity – not just a vision, but one that is well under way in being realised. Building on the unique landscapes inherited from its industrial legacy where gorges, bridges and tunnels connect former chalk quarries, Ebbsfleet Garden City is recognised as a place with excellent connections, capitalising on its role as a European high speed rail hub 17 minutes from Central London and two hours from Paris. 15,000 new homes are being built at Ebbsfleet Garden City and with them, new jobs, schools, retail, community facilities and an extensive network of exciting and unique public realm.

Whitecliffe forms the largest component of Ebbsfleet Garden City; a thriving 21st Century neighbourhood being delivered at the centre of the Garden City in the iconic setting of a former chalk quarry. When complete, the development will include 6,250 new homes, education campus (Alkerden Academy), community facilities and a major urban park with viewing platform atop a retained chalk cliff within the site.

Formerly known as Eastern Quarry, Outline Planning Permission was originally granted for the new neighbourhood in 2003. Define were originally commissioned to produce one of the Design Codes for Eastern Quarry in 2016 and following this piece of work, the landowners identified the need for a fresh look at the Eastern Quarry Site Wide Masterplan. In 2017, Define were instructed to rework the Site Wide Masterplan and Whitecliffe was born.

Many of the ideas of the 2003 proposals, whilst relevant pre-credit crunch needed re-addressing. New site constraints information had come to light and there was an opportunity for Define to apply our context-driven approach that reimagined constraints as virtues to create a proposition for a 21st Century neighbourhood rich with a network of dramatic open spaces that prioritises the formation of community, green travel choices and the health and wellbeing of its future residents.

And so the vision for Whitecliffe is now being realised; homes have been delivered, the education campus is under construction and the new community is enjoying the exciting spaces that the neighbourhood has to offer. There is a genuine sense of excitement about the future at Whitecliffe, as part of the wider Ebbsfleet Garden City and as an exemplar for urban renewal.