Ebbsfleet United given go-ahead for new 8,000 capacity stadium

Ebbsfleet United Football Club’s plans for a waterfront neighbourhood with a new stadium at its heart have been given the green light.

The National League club said that Gravesham Borough Council in Kent, England, has resolved to grant planning permission for Northfleet Harbourside development.

Ebbsfleet United FC are now set to get a new stadium as shareholders in the project, which is set to transform and regenerate the immediate area surrounding the football club.

Within the 50-acre mixed-use development, Ebbsfleet United FC will retain freehold and management control of the new-build £40 million 8,000-seat multi-use community stadium and event facilities.

This will secure the club’s future for generations to come and provide stable, self-generating income and revenue towards our ultimate goal of sustainable high-performance.

Damian Irvine, Chief Executive Officer at Ebbsfleet United FC, commented:

Today is a truly significant day in our club’s great history and for the people and communities of Northfleet and Gravesend. The outcome has been the result of many months of hard work and collaboration with Gravesham Borough Council, our development partners and team, and the project’s investors.

We set about conceiving a plan and solution that would see our football ground developed to a leading standard that was feasible financially within a wider development, and which also provided regeneration of services and contributed to an overall significant uplift to our local community and Borough, reflecting the council’s own regeneration strategy and legacy plan for future generations. It’s a proud and exciting day to receive planning approval from GBC that will be the catalyst for such substantial investment into Gravesham Borough and its communities.

The granting of outline planning consent will now see each phase of the project proceed to detailed planning stage – and the club said it will update supporters on the timeline and phasing of the project in due course.

The emerging plans, in partnership with Landmarque Property Group, are for a c.40-acre brownfield site located in Ebbsfleet, close to Northfleet’s historic harbour and the river.

Its redevelopment will bring up to 3,000 new jobs in the retail, leisure and service sectors, including apprenticeships during construction and end use employment opportunities, providing a real boost to the local economy.

The vision is to design a new and vibrant neighbourhood with new homes, shops, cafes, offices, medical services and community venues.

There will be over 3kms of new pedestrian and cycle links through the community and along the Thames improving connectivity to Gravesham town centre, and publicly accessible green spaces across the site.

This unique opportunity will consider the sites natural waterfront position and diverse cultural heritage, creating a place for everyone and attracting new visitors to the area.

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