Delancey and Essential Land scheme designed by Grid will provide up to 1,050 homes

A masterplan for up to 1,050 homes in Dartford has been awarded planning permission.

The Dartford Gateway masterplan, drawn up by Grid Architects for Delancey and Essential Land, will deliver between 950 and 1,050 new private and affordable homes over a 17.5 ha site in Dartford.

The scheme - on the former site of a GSK pharmaceutical plant - also includes commercial and retail elements and a large public park and is intended to be part of the wider regeneration of Dartford.

The design makes use of the dramatic slope of the site, which is close to 1 in 10, with courtyards and rear gardens placed on environmental decks above car parking space.

Colin Veitch, director of Grid Architects said: “We were able to use the design of the housing typologies to deal with the constraints of the steeply sloping site. By using the natural incline to create podium terraces and courtyards with parking beneath we have made the site area work doubly hard. This has facilitated a dense development, at 53 homes per ha, but with cars hidden away and lots of gardens and green open space”

Remediation work on the contaminated land has already begun.

Martin Bellinger, partner at Essential Land added: “We undertook extensive consultation with the local community to prepare a planning application that met their aspirations and this has been recognised in the speed of delivery and unanimous approval of our planning application.”

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