THE opening of the Eurostar Terminal at St Pancras not only brought us all a bit closer to 'gay Pareee', but marked a turning point for King’s Cross, an area that has suffered a reputation for drugs and prostitution and is now enjoying a renaissance as part of major regeneration plans.

So, King’s Cross has a new station and the girls of the night have been replaced by estate agents and coffee shops. But what about the effects closer to home?

The first train left the newly-opened Ebbsfleet International for Paris arriving two hours and 12 minutes later – croissants for breakfast for those up early enough to make the 05.38 train. But as one door opened, another closed as Eurostar cut its services from Ashford and moved them to Ebbsfleet.

However, the people of Ashford should not fret. Eurostar may have cut its services but the new high-speed rail link due to open in 2009 as part of the CTRL will mean that St Pancras is just 37 minutes away, halving the journey time to London which will attract commuters and families who have been priced out of the London suburbs.

There is also the possibility that a fuller international service will be restored once regeneration is fully under way.

Ashford is one of the Government’s four official growth areas and is earmarked for a significant expansion of housing stock. The major regeneration which includes thousands of new homes, an extra 2m sq ft of business parks, as well as road and rail improvements, means that Ashford will enjoy sustained growth and reinvigoration.

By 2031, its population is due to have doubled to 110,000, with 31,000 extra homes being added to the town and 28,000 jobs moving into the area. The 12 months after Ashford was awarded its growth area status, house sales rose by 49 per cent and with careful planning, it is set to be a desirable place to live.

As for Ebbsfleet, the international station is just one baby mussel in a large bowl of moules. The opening marks just part of the large-scale Thames Gateway regeneration project.

The international station is at the heart of Ebbsfleet Valley which is set to be a major new commercial and residential area, with a projected 25,000 new homes and 50,000 new jobs in the next 20 years.

With St Pancras 17 minutes away on the CTRL, and the full domestic service which is due to operate from 2009, Ebbsfleet Valley is set to become a highly-attractive place, while Ashford will benefit from the high speed King’s Cross service.

Who needs to spend a couple of hours on a train for French Champagne in Paris when you can be sipping the stuff in Europe’s longest champagne bar in St Pancras station within 37 minutes?

* Paul Hogarth is partner and head of new homes sales and marketing for Knight Frank in the South East. To contact his residential development team call 01483 564660.