The first custom-build homes have been approved for Ebbsfleet Garden City.

Westerhill Homes saw its plans for 67 new homes approved by Ebbsfleet Development Corporation’s planning committee last night.

The homes will be built in the centre of Whitecliffe, in Alkerden Village, close to the Fastrack route, education campus and shops.

While hundreds of homes have already been built at Ebbsfleet, these will offer buyers options to put their own stamp on the property with the chance to change internal layouts, external materials, the number of parking spaces plus sustainability and biodiversity enhancements, such as bat boxes, making the development fully bespoke.

The development consists of 67 homes, including 17 (25%) affordable homes.

Also approved were plans for 235 new homes and a neighbourhood green by Countryside Properties with Clarion Housing as their next phase of development in Ashmere Village.

The proposal was described as having “beautifully and imaginatively designed homes with gardens and high quality affordable units, orientated towards public transport and which provides strong links to open spaces and surrounding green infrastructure, providing a safe and attractive living environment for future residents.”

Julian Moat, planning director with Westerhill, said there had been three expressions of interest in plots already.

He said: “As a Kent-based housebuilder, we are delighted to have secured planning permission from Ebbsfleet Development Corporation for the delivery of our exciting, bespoke custom build homes at Ebbsfleet Garden City.

“By working with an outstanding project team – including BPTW Architecture, LUC landscape design and Knapp Hicks engineers – we have developed an innovative six stage customisation process for all private market homes.

"This will allow individual purchasers to make a series of external and internal choices to their homes at the point of reservation, meaning the homes can be tailored to suit their design preferences and lifestyle choices.

“We anticipate a strong market demand for customisation in the new build market, and coupled with the strong pull of Garden City living, we fully expect these new homes to prove popular as we now commence on the marketing and delivery aspects of the site.”

Mark Pullin, chief planning officer with Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, said: “We are thrilled to get the very first custom-build properties here in the Garden City which will further expand the choice of properties available for future residents.

"In addition to this, the committee’s decision to approve a further 235 homes and open space in Ashmere is a great step forward in the delivery of this new community."

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