Kent Thames-side Vision:
Ahead of its time?

Location: Dartford and Gravesham, Kent
Client: Kent Thames-side Association (Dartford, Gravesham and Kent Councils; Whitecliff Properties, University of Greenwich, London & Continental Railways)

Government guidance now identifies the 57 square kilometres Kent Thames-side area of north west Kent as one of the major new growth areas in the South East, if not the UK, over the next quarter of a century. Behind the conception and promotion of this area is the public/private sector Kent Thames-side Association.

During the mid-90s, DLA led a team on behalf of the Association preparing the Kent Thames-side Vision, subsequently described as a unique exercise in British town planning. The Vision foresaw the development of over 30,000 new homes and the provision of over 50,000 new jobs largely on brownfield land, based on mixed use, public transport-orientated development - that is, principles that have today become an established part of national planning policy and the cornerstone of the move towards more sustainable development. A subsequent update extended coverage to encompass a complementary social and community vision for the area.