GRAHAM has been appointed by Eastern Quarry Limited (EQL), the entity owned and managed by Henley Camland, a joint venture between Henley Investment Management and Camland Developments, to deliver a major new education hub in Ebbsfleet Garden City, Kent.
The new £80m Alkerden Academy will offer more than 2,200 places to primary and secondary school pupils, making it one of the largest education facilities ever to be built in Kent, occupying an expansive 11.1-hectare site.
About the project
Alkerden Academy, located in the Whitecliffe Eastern Quarry Development, is set to become an all-through school featuring an 8-form entry secondary school up to five-stories tall, and a 2-form entry, two-storey primary school. The campus will also include a community sports hall and sports pitches together with related car parking and access roads. Construction is already underway, with a completion target of July 2026. To minimise disruption, the project will be carried out in a single phase. The design aligns with the latest sustainability standards, aiming for a BREEAM Excellent rating and adopting BIM Level 2.
Ian Rickwood, Chief Executive, Henley Investment Management, said:
“The new Alkerden Academy, a major education hub and community sports facility, is at the heart of our plans for this development. We are on site and delivering this all-through school, putting in place vital infrastructure and amenities, to support local residents and new communities that will make Whitecliffe their home. Working with our partners we are bringing forward new villages and facilitating the delivery of 6,250 homes in Ebbsfleet Garden City.”
GRAHAM’s role on the project
Pat O’Hare, Regional Director at GRAHAM, said:
“Alkerden Academy is a key component of the Whitecliffe development, providing significant educational and recreational benefits to the Ebbsfleet Valley community. Our team is dedicated to delivering a facility that not only meets the highest standards of sustainability but also provides an enriching environment for students and the community. This project demonstrates our capability to manage complex developments, and we look forward to working closely with Eastern Quarry Limited and the consultancy team to bring this vision to fruition.”
About Alkerden Village
Alkerden Village itself will have approximately 1,700 homes and a market centre, featuring a supermarket, gym and the new all-through school. The market centre at Alkerden Village is being delivered by Henley Investment Management. In addition, a Chartway Partnerships Group, the South-East development and partnership firm, working together with Henley Investment Management have also recently completed on a contract to delivery 162 homes in Alkerden Village, including a mix of affordable and purpose-built rental properties.
Alkerden Village is less than 10-minutes by public transport from Ebbsfleet International, with direct train links into Stratford International and London St Pancras in less than 20-minutes. Alkerden Village is also minutes from Bluewater shopping centre with the new Fastrack bus service connecting residents to the surrounding area.
About the Whitecliffe Development
Henley Camland is the master developer of Whitecliffe, a c.660-acre former quarry within the wider Ebbsfleet Garden City, consisting of three villages (Alkerden, Ashmere and Castle Hill). They have masterplanned the site and are delivering enabling works and supporting infrastructure across the site, facilitating the delivery of 6,250 homes in total.