Plans for new stadium and 3,500 homes approved

Ebbsfleet United FC's stadium will be at the heart of the development

A football stadium and thousands of homes will be built on brownfield land in Kent.

Plans by Ebbsfleet United FC for an 8,000-capacity stadium and 3,500 homes have been approved by Gravesham Borough Council.

Buildings on nearly 50-acres of land in Northfleet, including the club’s current Kuflink Stadium, will be demolished.

The plans received 330 letters of support and 61 objections. A number of people raised concerns about the loss of a local wharf to the area.

The Northfleet Harbourside development will also include a 300 bedroom hotel, a “retail village” of shops, cafes, sports facilities, a nursery, medical services and community venues.

Galley Hill Road and Stonebridge Road will be realigned.

The new stadium nearly doubles the capacity of Ebbsfleet United’s existing ground, which seats 4,769 people.

Damian Irvine, chief executive of the football club, said: “When this project was conceived it was with genuine passion for a project that Gravesham Borough can be proud of.”

The council has agreed to the plan in principle but will decide on specifics at a later date

Robin’s Wharf would be forced to move under the plans, but owners Brett Marine Aggregates and North Kent Roadstone said the were no viable alternative locations in the area.

A planning boss at the Port of London authority said the wharf is “integral to the Port of London”.

Developers must address concerns by the National Grid that part of the scheme blocks access to high-voltage power lines, otherwise the proposals will go back to the planning committee.

Building work on the stadium is set to begin in September and finish in August 2026. The entire project is expected to be complete in a decade.