The Civic Society

for Gravesend and Northfleet

Heritage Quarter Scheme 

The Council has teamed up with Edinburgh House Estates- the owners of St George’s Shopping Centre to redevelop the Council's land holdings in the centre of Gravesend.

The basic concept is to provide a new multi-storey car park adjacent to the St George’s Centre, thus freeing up the Market and West Street car parks for redevelopment (which will from the Eastern and Western Quarters of the scheme respectively).

skyscraper



The scheme would provide:
Eastern Quarter:
Large numbers of small flats (240 in the eastern quarter and 159 in the eastern quarter), the majority of which are studios or 1-bedroom in size. Gravesham Council’s own evidence is that there is already a glut of flats in Gravesend ‘Central’  

An expanded shopping centre- nearly 40% of which will be occupied by a large new supermarket. Whether the existing Tesco store on New Road would have to close has not been evaluated.

Overshadowing of historic buildings and of the many residential properties along the river


More traffic on West Street, increasing the severance of the river from the town


Development on the Pocahontas Gardens and churchyard. The churchyard will be smaller and more urban than it is at present.


More restaurants and cafes, and a small hotel, but no proper museum or theatre which the town really needs


A greatly reduced number of public car parking spaces around the Market, but an increase of car parking spaces on the Western Quarter. It is not stated whether car prices will be higher.



New jobs – possibly as few as 300. The Environmental Statement submitted with the planning application states that between 550 and 600 full time jobs could be created.

However, the number of jobs lost by redeveloping part of the existing shopping centre and by the potential closure of adjacent stores, has not been evaluated. 

The scale of the scheme is massive. Buildings on the eastern quarter range from 5 to 7-storeys high around the market square at high level overlooking the river.  The Western Quarter (around St Georges Church) will see development of between 4 and 7-storeys along West Street, stepping up to 9 storeys at the Bath Street corner. 

The scheme originally featured a 33-storey tower on the much-loved St Andrews Gardens. Following a vigorous campaign by Urban Gravesham and 1000’s of letters, the Council and developers were forced to drop this idea. However, the planning application makes it clear that the developers still have aspirations to build on St. Andrews Gardens. 

Despite these changes, the scheme is still unacceptable. Urban Gravesham says…
YES to Regeneration, No to the Concrete Jungle

See more pictures of the proposal here.

Urban Gravesham’s opinion:

Urban Gravesham supports the principle of development. We want to see better shopping and to see empty sites (the car parks) used in a better way. However, we do not want to see our hisotric town centre turned into yet another anonymous shopping centre surrounded by hi-rise development. Urban Gravesham think that the developers are simply too greedy and that the Council has been too soft in allowing this monstrous scheme to progress.

We urge the Council and developers to GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD to develop a more sympathetic regeneration scheme.

See  Five myths about the Heritage Quarter Scheme


Background : The Planning Application

Edinburgh House Estates originally lodged a planning application for the scheme with the Council in July 2008. The planning application was in two parts- fully ‘detailed’ plans for the Eastern Quarter, and ‘outline’ plans for the Western Quarter. This means that the developers were intending to build the area round the Market Square and on St Andrews Gardens quite quickly, but that they have a much longer timescale in mind for the extension to the St George’s Shopping centre.  

The ensuing campaign by Urban Gravesham galvanised opposition to proposals for the 33-storey tower element of the scheme on St Andrews Gardens. In addition to the 7000 signatures collected by the group, we believe that the Council received over 700 letters of objection. 

 The local press actively followed the controversy and major statutory bodies, including English Heritage, also objected to the scheme. (Read Urban Gravesham's full objection letter here and English Heritage objections here) .

Urban Gravesham have also submitted an application to Kent County Council to have St Andrews gardens designated as a village green. If successful it would be illegal to build on the Gardens. For more details here

The campaign was successful. At a dramatic press conference in January 2009, the Council and Edinburgh House Estates announced that they would be dropping the tower element of the scheme. Urban Gravesham press release

What’s happening now?
Developers Edinburgh House submitted a revised planning application in December 2009. Huge 7-9 storey slab blocks still threaten West Street and the medieval High Street. St Andrews Gardens may still be built upon.

The Council originally wanted to rush the planning application through whist people were enjoying their Christmas break. However, following complaints by Urban Gravesham the deadline for comments on the scheme has been extended until 18th February.

How you can help
Urban Gravesham are continuing the campaign to ’stop the concrete jungle’.
How you can help

* Whether you have written before or whether this is the first time…
Write or email the Development Control Manager at the Council –
Clive Gilbert, Gravesham Council, Civic Centre, Windmill Street, Gravesend, DA12 1AU, or  clive.gilbert@gravesham.gov.uk  

REMEMBER THE DEADLINE OF 18th FEBRUARY.

For advice on how the planning system works and how to write a letter - see the resources section on our website.

* Help to deliver leaflets across the borough or at our Saturday stall - contact Gill Emerson (01474 566701) or Claire Brown (0777 3409746).
* Let us know what you have done. We want to monitor the strength of opposition to the proposals.
* Last but not least - join Urban Gravesham! Encourage your friends and relatives to join Urban Gravesham. In return we will:
* keep you informed
* represent your views
* campaign against this development


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Do you support Urban Gravesham? If so please feel free make a donation or join our group. Contact info@urbangravesham.org