Plans for a multi-million-pound waterfront neighbourhood were approved by borough councillors last week in the hopes it will transform the area into one residents are proud of.

KentOnline visited the site surrounding Ebbsfleet United FC’s stadium which will eventually become known as Northfleet Harbourside.

Like most industrial estates, the one off Stonebridge Road in Northfleet is like a spider’s web of routes leading from one to the other with cars parked on every spare piece of space.

There are numerous businesses, from wholesalers to concrete suppliers, with warehouses, showrooms and workshops and workers in PPE.

A stream of lorries, vans and HGVs were seen coming and going while we were there, showing the estate is clearly quite active despite claims it is derelict.

There were, however, signs the area had seen better days, with large items such as a washbasin and a window dumped and smashed by the pavement. Litter blew across almost every street.

While on the other side of the road, in Eagle Way, it is completely different. Costa and a gym are based there - both the type of business the new development is hoping to attract.

However, this is all set to change in the next few years after outline plans for Northfleet Harbourside were finally decided upon last week - almost two years after they were submitted in October 2022.

To build the £40 million scheme, the existing buildings on the almost 50-acre brownfield site will be demolished while Galley Hill Road and Stonebridge Road will need to be realigned.

A retail village of around 40,000 sq m of shops, cafes, sports facilities, a nursery, medical services and community venues will be built in its place.

It will sit alongside a hotel, 3,500 homes, 18,000 sq m of office space, 2,600 parking spaces and a new 18,000 sq m football stadium with up to 8,000 seats.

This will almost double the capacity of the existing football ground, known as the Kuflink Stadium, which can currently hold 4,769 fans, and it is said it will secure the club’s long-term future.

The waterside development will be spread across five new “neighbourhoods” known as Parkland, Riverside, Boulevard, Marketplace and Stadium, according to applicant Northfleet Central 1 Limited.

The mixed-use scheme went before Gravesham council’s planning committee on April 30, which unanimously voted to approve the plans subject to conditions.

Councillors, neighbours and football fans alike have backed the scheme which received more than 300 letters of support and only 35 objections.

Following the decision, KentOnline spoke to those living and working in the area to see what they thought about what’s planned.

Stonebridge resident Tina Money said she hoped the project would help create a bigger community feel in the area but had concerns about how the roads would cope.

She added: “It looks really good, we are quite happy about it. However, there are a lot more high-rise flats than I remember.

“I am not too happy about the number of flats as I thought there would be more houses but I am really hoping it is going to be good.”

Thurka Murugaiyah, owner of Premier Mart, which is next to the plot that will be redeveloped, added: “I think it will be good for the business and the area. It will look different but I think it will be positive for Northfleet.”

The Northfleet Harbour Restoration Trust aims to restore access and use of the harbour, in Grove Road, off Stonebridge Road.

It hopes to reintroduce marine facilities such as moorings for historic ships, create opportunities for youngsters through Sea Cadets, and put in walking and cycle routes, to bring people back to the river.

Chairman of the charity, Conrad Broadley, added: “It is going to be positive. I think the fact it is named Northfleet Harbourside shows the intentions of the developers.

“Gravesham council and the developers have been good to make sure it includes the future of the harbour in the plans.

“It is very welcome. The harbour will be a focal point for Northfleet.”

At the heart of the development will be a new 8,000-seater stadium and long-time fans of Ebbsfleet United FC hope this could push the team into the Football League.

Chairman of the Fleet’s Supporters Club, John Burgess, said: “It is good news and it can only benefit the area and the club. It is astronomically positive and it is long overdue.

“I look forward to when it will start as it will benefit the area for years to come.

“I think the area needs redeveloping and it has become more apparent with the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC) development on the opposite side just how deprived and rundown the site is.

“I appreciate there are a lot of businesses there and I am sure the developers can come to some arrangement with them.”

In a statement, chief executive officer at Ebbsfleet United FC, Damian Irvine, said it was a “significant day” for the club and Gravesham.

He added: “The outcome has been the result of many months of hard work and collaboration with Gravesham Borough Council (GBC), our development partners and team, and the project’s investors.

“It is 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.”

However, not everyone sees the scheme as “rosy” as others.

Victor Smith lives in Stonebridge Road and his home is one of four which will be “in the way” of the development.

The 76-year-old said: “I do not want to go and I am not going to go.

“There are also all these businesses who are in the way, I wonder how they feel about it?

“They have settled and built up there. How many are going to want to be moved away and find somewhere else?”

Victor, who has lived in the area since the mid-1970s, said despite being affected by the plans, he is not against a development in the area - just this one.

He added: “I am not opposed to a development but this one is pretty horrible with the townscape that is envisioned. It is overdeveloped.

“I wonder how many local people would be able to live there and how many people will be coming from outside the area?

“I would have liked to have seen something that is a bit less obtrusive and not all the high-rise buildings and flats.

“I am not against a development that thinks about people and businesses who are already here.”

At the meeting, many also raised concerns about the loss of Robin’s Wharf which hosts rock mineral processing facilities and is operated by Brett Marine Aggregates and North Kent Roadstone.

Joanne Baker, speaking on behalf of North Kent Roadstone said: “We are clear that the loss of Robin’s Wharf would have a significant effect in terms of mineral supply in this market area.

“There are no identified viable alternative locations and it would be extremely challenging and likely unfeasible to replicate the facility elsewhere.”

Michael Atkins, a planning boss for the Port of London Authority, also told councillors the wharf is “integral to the Port of London”.

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He added: “As the UK’s biggest port it can only function with sufficient riverside industrial sites.”

Currently only outline plans have been approved meaning the council has agreed the development is sound in principle.

Specific details on the layout and design of the development will have to be decided through further planning applications.

It is predicted construction work would take about 10 years.