Alkerden, Ebbsfleet

Large-scale landforming and infrastructure delivery at Alkerden

Alkerden forms the centrepiece of the wider Whitecliffe development, delivering approximately 1,500 new homes alongside a significant concentration of community, civic, education and commercial infrastructure. The village is defined by the Alkerden Market Centre, which will accommodate retail, food and beverage, community space and employment uses, as well as a new Education Campus and civic hub.

Land Forming & Primary Infrastructure

Major earthworks have reshaped the central quarry landform to enable the coordinated delivery of housing, schools and the Market Centre. Works have included regrading former quarry faces, establishing development plateaus and forming the Alkerden Spine Road, which connects Castle Hill to the west and Ashmere to the east. This forms part of the strategic east-west movement corridor across Whitecliffe, accommodating utilities, pedestrian and cycle routes, and the dedicated Fastrack bus route.

Access & Utilities

A new principal access from Southfleet Road serves Alkerden, linking into the wider strategic road network. Works include major service diversions, utilities installation and construction of the main Alkerden Spine Road, which also provides the primary construction access. The Fastrack corridor is integrated into the street layout and will ultimately provide a high-frequency public transport link to Bluewater and Ebbsfleet International via Ashmere and a future tunnel under St Clements Way.

Foul & Surface Water Drainage

Alkerden connects into the wider site-wide drainage network serving all three villages. Foul flows are conveyed via local pumping stations to the Terminal Foul Water Pumping Station in Ashmere, designed for approximately 4,500 dwellings.

Surface water is managed through a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) comprising swales, basins and attenuation features. Water from Alkerden ultimately drains by gravity to Lake Koba—the Terminal Surface Water Pumping Station in north Ashmere—which discharges to the Thames at a controlled rate of 323 l/s. 

Community & Civic Infrastructure

Alkerden will accommodate the largest cluster of social infrastructure in Whitecliffe:

• Market Centre providing retail, commercial and community uses
• Civic Hub including a Lifelong Learning Centre, library, police presence, job centre, health and social care facilities, adult social care and co-location space
• Market square, public realm, active ground floor uses and sustainable mobility connections

Alkerden Education Campus

Planning permission for the Education Campus was secured in January 2021. The campus includes:

• Nursery and primary school
• 1,600-place secondary school
• Dual-use sports centre
• Sports pitches, running track and tennis courts

The state-of-the-art sports facilities will be open to the community outside school hours, forming a key shared asset for all three villages.

The Major Urban Park (MUP) is located in the centre of the Whitecliffe development and will be the largest open-space provision to be delivered. It spans 18.92 ha and will provide a range of activities for Whitecliffe residents and people living beyond the development. These will include sports and playing pitches, recreational open spaces, an ecological corridor and equipped play spaces.