The Hill Group has begun construction at Milton Place in Gravesend, delivering 76 new homes as the first project to commence through the Gravesham Community Investment Partnership (GCIP), the partnership between Hill and Gravesham Borough Council set up to accelerate the delivery of affordable homes for local people.
The development comprises 61 apartments and 15 houses, delivering a mix of affordable rent, assisted living and private sale homes.
The apartment building, comprising a mix of one- and two-bedroom homes, will provide much-needed affordable rent and supported living accommodation, including eight wheelchair-accessible homes.
The 15 houses will be sold privately, offering a range of two, three and four-bedroom family homes.
Designed to be tenure blind, all affordable and private homes will share the same high-quality landscaping, materials and boundary treatments, and with no clustering or separation of tenures across the site.
Occupying a previously vacant corner site at the junction of Milton Place and Ordnance Road, the development has been designed to reflect the immediate surroundings, including the Gravesend Riverside Conservation Area and the historic New Tavern Fort immediately to the north.
It will provide new public open space alongside the existing skate park to the east, complete with seating for residents and improved pedestrian and cycle links north into Gordon Gardens and Gordon Lake. A generous green corridor wraps around the development, incorporating sustainable drainage systems to manage surface water, reduce flood risk and boost biodiversity.
Milton Place is just a 12-minute walk from Gravesend railway station, with direct rail links into central London in around 30 minutes. Residents will also benefit from a well-connected bus route on Milton Road, the Uber Boat service from the Historic Gravesend Pier, and the new King Charles III England Coast Path.
Andy Hill OBE, Founder and Group Chief Executive at The Hill Group, said: "Seeing work begin at Milton Place is a hugely important milestone, not just for this project, but for our wider partnership with Gravesham Borough Council. This is the first development we're delivering together through our investment partnership, and it sets the standard for what's to come: genuinely mixed-tenure, tenure-blind homes in a well-connected, sustainably designed setting that respects the character of the area.”
"We're proud to be bringing forward a development that will provide a real mix of housing, alongside new public green space and better connections to Gordon Gardens for the whole community."
Cllr John Burden, Leader of Gravesham Borough Council, said: "This is a really significant moment for the Gravesham Community Investment Partnership and for local people waiting for a good-quality, affordable home. Milton Place will deliver a genuine mix of tenures, including much-needed supported living and wheelchair-accessible homes.
"Alongside the new homes, this development improves the public realm for everyone in the area, with new green space next to the skate park and better pedestrian links. It's a strong first step in our partnership with Hill, and a clear demonstration of what we can achieve together to reduce the borough's Housing Register and build the homes our residents need."
Milton Place forms part of the wider ambitions of GCIP, which was established to identify and progress suitable sites for new council-owned homes across the borough, helping to reduce the number of households on Gravesham's Housing Register.
