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| Ebbsfleet Valley | |
  Ebbsfleet Valley shown within Kent |
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| OS grid reference | |
|---|---|
| Parish | Swanscombe and Greenhithe |
| District | Dartford |
| Gravesham | |
| Shire county | Kent |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SWANSCOMBE |
| Postcode district | DA10 |
| Dialling code | 01987[1] |
| Police | Kent |
| Fire | Kent |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Kent | |
Ebbsfleet Valley is a new town and redevelopment area in Kent, South East England; and part of the Thames Gateway. It is named from the valley of the Ebbsfleet River, which it straddles, with the eastern part of the site in the borough of Gravesham and with the portion west of the river in the borough of Dartford. It is located south west of the Gravesend urban conurbation.
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Redevelopment
Much of the land is brownfield and was formerly used by industry; having been previously owned by the APCM, Blue Circle and most recently by Lafarge. The new community is planned to have a population of 40,000. Ebbsfleet International railway station was opened in November 2007 and provides services to Continental Europe on High Speed 1. Domestic services to London are planned to be operated by Southeastern.[2] There will be a trial by BT of a fibre network in the Ebbsfleet valley, potentially offering the highest speed internet connection to home users in the United Kingdom.[3]
Archaeology
Prior to the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link in this area, archaeological work undertaken at Ebbsfleet found both an ancient Anglo-Saxon mill and a Roman villa, as well as the remains of a straight-tusked elephant. The Ebbsfleet River is of great historical importance in English history. The river, which is fed by eight natural springs, was held sacred by the Celts who settled in the area starting around 100 BC.[4] The historical Watling Street passes through the site.
Civic identity
The football team Gravesend and Northfleet FC changed their name to Ebbsfleet United F.C. in the summer of 2007. Another move to promote a sense of identity in the new town is a planned landmark, which when built will be 50 metres high (twice as high as the Angel of the North) and is intended to be visible from road, rail and air. This sculpture, informally known as the Angel of the South, is currently being commissioned.[5][6][7][8]
References
- ^ Ofcom - Telephone Numbering - Proposals to accommodate geographic number demand in the Ebbsfleet region
- ^ Southeastern - Southeastern's high-speed trains
- ^ BT fibre trial to start in August
- ^ Springhead: the temple complex
- ^ BBC News - Sculpture 'will be icon of South'
- ^ BBC News - There is no Ebbsfleet'
- ^ BBC News - £2m sculpture designs revealed'
- ^ Guardian - Images of the shortlisted designs
External links
