Sittingbourne Town Centre

Ballina Street is a residential development of five one, two and three-bedroom family homes in Honor Oak Park, within the London Borough of Lewisham.

Located just off Honor Oak Park, the development sits in a well-connected residential area with strong local amenities, nearby shops and excellent public transport links. Honor Oak Park station provides direct services to London Bridge in around 12 minutes, with the area sitting within Zone 3.

Close to East Dulwich and surrounded by a strong mix of public and private schools, Honor Oak Park is an established and desirable location for families seeking well-connected homes in South East London.

Acquired with private equity in early 2011, the development was planned as a high-quality residential scheme designed to make effective use of a well-located urban site and deliver new family housing in a popular London neighbourhood.

Essential Land, in partnership with its joint venture funding partners, acquired the 33-acre Northern Gateway site in Dartford town centre from GSK for £13 million.

Located off Temple Hill, Northern Gateway is a major brownfield regeneration opportunity within easy reach of Dartford town centre, local amenities and key transport links into Central London and Kent’s coastal ports.

Acting as development manager, Essential Land led the early stages of the project, including site remediation, masterplanning and coordination of the wider professional team. The vision was to create a flagship residential-led mixed-use development, with around 1,000 new homes alongside a substantial commercial and retail offer.

The proposals included between 50,000 and 100,000 sq ft of commercial and retail space, with an anticipated gross development value of approximately £200 million. The scheme was designed to unlock the potential of a large underused brownfield site and support the wider regeneration of Dartford town centre.

Planning consent for site remediation was secured in autumn 2010, allowing Essential Land to progress the site towards a comprehensive masterplan for future development.

Northern Gateway demonstrates Essential Land’s experience in large-scale brownfield regeneration, bringing together land acquisition, remediation, planning strategy and development management to help transform complex urban sites into new mixed-use neighbourhoods.

Essential Land was selected as part of the Spirit of Sittingbourne consortium, appointed by Swale Borough Council to help lead the regeneration of Sittingbourne town centre.

The partnership was formed to deliver a long-term regeneration strategy designed to rejuvenate the town centre through high-quality planning, design and architecture. Rather than focusing on a single development site, the vision covered the wider town centre, with a coordinated approach to public realm, civic space, culture, retail and residential development.

The scheme was expected to deliver significant economic benefits, including an estimated £250 million of economic improvement over ten years and the creation of around 1,100 jobs.

Initial proposals included a series of mixed-use development opportunities designed to strengthen the structure and identity of the town centre. These included a new Station Square, a Cultural Quarter, a Civic Quarter, improved public realm, residential development and large-format retail space.

Spirit of Sittingbourne reflects Essential Land’s experience in complex, partnership-led regeneration, bringing together public and private sector stakeholders to support the long-term renewal of town centre locations.